I often hear concerns raised by residents about the state of our town centre.  Many people mention antisocial behaviour to me and say Crawley town centre is declining. The ongoing closure of major stores in Crawley is a loss we all feel, with each one chipping away at our town centre’s overall offer.   

Across the country, there is a long-term trend of increased online shopping that has been impacting traditional retail stores, particularly in town centres and high streets. The Covid pandemic accelerated that trend and none of this is the fault of any government. 

However, I’ve observed a marked decline over the last two years since Labour came into office.  Some of that will be coincidence, but much can be directly attributed to policies from the Labour Government.

Labour’s record for retailers is lamentable.  We’ve seen rising business rates, higher national insurance, soaring energy costs, higher employment costs, and rising shop thefts and anti-social behaviour that directly affects retailers, as well as putting off shoppers off from visiting.  When added to the existing difficulties, we sadly see what is happening in Crawley today, especially when we also have a poorly-led local council, whose leadership’s primary focus appears to be posing for photoshoots rather than addressing challenging issues. 

Nationally, this backdrop has seen the proliferation of some shops whose contribution to the community is questionable at best.  There has been some good investigative journalism exposing illegal activity, of which it is feared is rife across the country.  Tackling such activities is important but we should not lose sight that premises hosting illegal activities are a symptom of high street decline.  Ultimately, tackling the root causes will yield better results overall.   

The Conservatives’ plan is to abolish business rates for thousands of high street businesses including pubs and shops.  Our Cheap Power Plan would cut electricity bills for businesses, and plans to reduce red tape and bureaucracy would also be beneficial.  Additionally, Conservative plans to increase police officer numbers by 10,000 would make a tangible difference to law and order in town centres, making them safer for retailers and shoppers.

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

19th August 2026