Since Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour Party leader in September, it has become very noticeable to me how the changes in Labour at the national level are being mirrored by the local Labour Party here in Crawley. However, their latest policy change has surprised even a seasoned observer like me.
Crawley was established as a town of neighbourhoods, often referred to as the neighbourhood principle. This is widely seen as having served our town well and until recently, there had always been a consensus between Conservatives and Labour in Crawley that this was indeed the case. You can therefore imagine my surprise that Labour is quietly dropping their support for Crawley’s neighbourhood principle.
In Crawley, our 37 Borough Councillors represent wards that are based on our neighbourhoods and our 9 County Councillors represent County divisions that usually cover two neighbourhoods while still allowing for equal-sized electorates. Using the neighbourhood principle in this way allows for good governance, keeps local communities together and makes it easier for residents to know who their elected representatives are.
Crawley’s neighbourhood principle is now being eroded because of Labour’s plan to split more neighbourhoods and communities than necessary in the Boundary Commission review of the County Council divisions in Crawley. While it is impossible not to have any neighbourhoods split as it is a legal requirement to have broadly similar sized electorates, it is disappointing that the Boundary Commission are proposing Labour’s plan to have five of Crawley’s 13 neighbourhoods split in two (West Green, Three Bridges, Northgate, Ifield and Pound Hill) for County Council divisions. This is entirely preventable when there is a fair and viable alternative that sees only three Crawley neighbourhoods split.
It is concerning when you realise that this could set a precedent when it comes to reviewing the Borough Council wards as the concept of having Borough wards matching County divisions having been eroded, would mean it is more likely to see Borough Councillors representing two halves of different neighbourhoods. The public consultation ends on the 8th of February and can be found online by searching “West Sussex boundary review”.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
18th January 2016