The same values still count at grass roots

I represent Broadfield, both on the borough and county councils, the community I’ve lived in for over forty years. I am immensely proud of our neighbourhood and I want to see the area go from strength to strength, it’s what got me into politics and as a local member you do what you can to help achieve that goal.

As a county councillor, I’ve helped to provide funding for various groups, including well over a thousand pounds in grants for Broadfield Community Centre. I’ve also done my best to secure Highways improvements for Broadfield, such as new Traffic Regulation Orders to deal with anti-social parking at Broadfield East School, around the football stadium and near the Mosque, all at the request of local residents. After years’ of hard work we’ve also finally secured the Pelham Place crossing to ensure that people can cross the road to Broadfield Barton safely.

It’s not easy. The resources available for county councillors to use to help improve their area keeps getting cut every year and with a new West Sussex County Council budget set to be decided in a couple of weeks’ time it is hard to see what is going to be left to improve our roads, pavements and help tackle the parking problems across the town.

Ultimately it is going to come down to local members and how much they are willing to do to fight for the resources their area needs, in Crawley we are just as deserving as those living in Chichester. I know that when I go to the County Council I’m there to speak up on behalf of Broadfield, it’s what I’ve always done in the past and that isn’t going to change.