It is increasingly apparent that the wheels have fallen off Labour’s Administration at Crawley Borough Council. This last week has seen Crawley ridiculed for several days in the national press, due to Labour’s local failings. This is unfortunate because while I don’t lose sleep over Labour’s failings being exposed, it concerns me greatly that our town’s reputation suffers nationally because of Labour’s running of our local council. I want Crawley to lead in Sussex and not to be the butt of people’s jokes. Our town’s reputation matters and if we are to lead in Sussex, we need a council that will put Crawley first, not left-wing political ideology.
I want Crawley to be known for attracting high-profile businesses that provide skilled jobs - rather than its council boycotting some of those firms because they supply the UK’s Armed Forces with their weapons. I want Crawley to be known for having a good standard of living with low crime levels - rather than ridiculed in the national press for its council telling all its tenants to budget for magistrate court fines. I want Crawley to be known for being a clean and pleasant place to live - rather than ridiculed in the national press for having a wheely bin overflowing with rubbish that wasn’t collected for an entire year, that became a local landmark. I want Crawley to be known for having a great range of leisure activities that people want to take part in - rather than ridiculed in the national press for installing a white elephant pentanque court in our Memorial Gardens, on the whim of one pentanque playing councillor who refuses to listen to any others.
When Labour won control of Crawley Council, they had promised certain eye-catching things that were designed to secure votes. Their ‘crackdown on housing fraud’ turned out to be an amnesty, their ‘crackdown on fly-tipping’ turned out to be a bad joke and their ‘more open town hall’ turned out to be closed shop. It is time for Crawley’s ‘Corbyn experiment’ to end as it is damaging both our town and its reputation.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Councillor Conservative Group
23rd March 2016