All children across Crawley will be able to access a world-class education thanks to a major funding boost.

At some poi nt in our lives, all of us will need to use our National Health Service. Even if we fortunate to have good health, it is reassuring to know that the NHS is there for us should we unexpectedly need it. The NHS is always there for us, is always free at the point of use, and will always continue to be so.

Last week saw several announcements from Boris Johnson’s One-Nation Conservative government that reflect people’s concerns and priorities. I would like to highlight some of these policies that I believe will be of interest to Crawley residents.

It is a well-known fact that local elections tend to go against the political party that is in government. Here in Crawley, this happened to us Conservatives during John Major’s government of 1990 - 1997, when we were reduced to just two Crawley Borough Councillors.

Henry Smith MP added a dash of pink to his usual attire in support of Breast Cancer Now’s Wear It Pink fundraiser, which takes place on Friday 18th October.

The old phrase of “Lies, damned lies, and statistics” was coined by Mark Twain to describe the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments. I won’t be disingenuous and pretend that all political parties don’t select statistics that suit their narratives, because they do, but some parties stretch credibility and the truth to ridiculous limits.

Henry Smith MP has joined Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in welcoming changes to the way that train delays are recorded, benefiting consumers by making it easier to hold train companies serving Three Bridges, Crawley, Ifield and Gatwick Airport stations to account.

I only need to speak to a few Crawley residents before the issue of neighbourhood parking comes up. Poor neighbourhood planning by Crawley Borough Council in the past with a lack of foresight about future car ownership laid the foundations for today’s problems in many Crawley streets, but more recent actions (and inaction) has only made the problem worse.

Henry Smith MP has welcomed the Government’s announcement that 100 towns across England will receive extra funding to level-up opportunities around the country and ensure each town looks towards the future with renewed optimism.

The government’s spending review announced last week did not get much publicity, but assuming it gets through a disruptive parliament controlled by the opposition that is serving itself and not the people who elected them, we can look forward to greater investment in our public services.