Thursday 2 May is Election Day. Please vote for one of our team in your area.

 Carol Hayton is Labour’s County Council Candidate for Horsham Hurst.

‘ I live in Horsham and commute to London where I currently work as a political administrator. In the course of my career I have worked in the private, public and voluntary sectors in administrative and management roles.  I am member of the Labour Party National Policy Forum, representing the views of Labour Party members in the South East in policy development discussions. My professional and political experience has provided me with a good understanding of the service needs and expectations of local communities.  One of the key expectations is that they will receive good quality local services in return for their council tax payment.

Over recent years we have seen a significant decline in the number and quality of services provided by the County Council. The result of this is  not only a reduction in the value for money  achieved for the Council tax payer, but a decline in the well- being and security of many of those who rely on our services.  I believe that the role of a county councillor should be to represent their communities. I believe councillors should show a commitment to the primary objective of local government, the delivery of public service and be prepared to seek out ways to deliver value for money in challenging times.  Up and down the country we are seeing Labour councillors showing that commitment in the face of callous Tory cuts. West Sussex needs more of that commitment and that’s why I’m standing for Labour in Horsham Hurst.’

David Hide is Labour’s County Council Candidate for Horsham Riverside.

‘I am chair of Horsham Labour Party and an active member of Unite. I have lived in Riverside for 6 years and work within the Technical Team of a large horticultural requisites firm servicing nurseries and growers here in West Sussex. I am also the lead member of the Jubilee Ribbon Borders Volunteer Group which maintains the newly planted borders on North Street. As an active member of Horsham Labour Party I have campaigned on a range of local issues including against the closure of the child holiday play scheme for working parents. I spoke in the Council chamber against the planning application for the housing developments West of Horsham.  I was disappointed orshanm  with the Liberal Democrats lack of opposition, their response on both issues was too little, too late.

I have campaigned against the closure of our leisure centre and Horsham Labour Party is the only party to support the ‘people’s option’ for a new leisure centre. I have led Labour’s campaign for more affordable housing while at the same time demanding that our countryside is protected from unnecessary development.

If elected I would donate more than 50% of my councillor’s expenses to local good causes.

To me being a councillor is about service and not about salary supplement.’

Ray Chapman is Labour’s County Council Candidate for Horsham Tanbridge and Broadbridge Heath.

‘My wife Sheila and I have lived in Horsham for over 30 years and brought up our four children here.  Before retiring, I worked as a production planner in Crawley for a global company manufacturing Radio Therapy equipment for the treatment of cancer. I have been the chairman of a local Youth Club for 19 years. I am an active member of Horsham Labour Party and have campaigned on a range of local issues including against the closure of the subsidised child holiday scheme for working parents. I spoke in the Council chamber against the planning application for the housing developments West of Horsham. I was disappointed orshanm  with the Liberal Democrats lack of opposition, their response on both issues was too little, too late.

I have campaigned against the closure of our leisure centre and Horsham Labour Party was the only party to support the ‘people’s option’ for a new leisure centre.

If elected I would particularly campaign to protect the green spaces and the environment in and around Broadbridge Heath and Denne while supporting the building of more affordable homes for local people.  We must tackle affordability and promote inclusive mixed communities where young and old can afford to live.  We must take a stronger position with developers and ensure we build the communities that we all want.’ 

George Murrell is Labour’s County Council Candidate for Roffey.

‘Everyone in our community, no matter what their age, relies on public services. I am a former student of Greenway and Tanbridge Schools and now in my final year at Collyers.

Through my experience, particularly of the excellent state school system in Horsham, I have a strong instinct towards public service.  This and my ability to prioritise important issues will make me the councillor you are looking for.

My priorities for quality services in Roffey are:

• Investment in community policing  – recent burglaries in my street have highlighted the massive importance people place on community policing.
• In a time where council budgets are being squeezed, I will campaign for the investment that will deliver a reduction in crime levels in Roffey.
• Action against potholes!  – As a cyclist I am keenly aware of the utter failure of the County Council to deal with this spiralling problem.
• Affordable housing – young people looking for their first home are facing over a 6.3% annual increase in Horsham house prices.  Action is needed to build affordable homes.
• Investment in young people – with the closure of local Youth Clubs, the Horsham Youth Centre –music and the abolition of the free Citizenship card, the County Council has gone backwards not forward in the provision of quality youth services.  Investment in youth services is now desperately needed.
• The Environment – one of the biggest challenges we face is to balance the needs for homes with investment in recycling and renewable energies. The fact the council are cutting the green waste collection, for example, shows their weak commitment to these priorities.’

1. Listen to local people and base our decisions on your service priorities.
2. Ensure that the County Council helps to provide homes for local people by making surplus county council land available for development of affordable housing schemes.
3. Ensure that every penny of the council tax is spent effectively and will go to providing effective local services.
4. Oppose the use of expensive consultants and promote the use and development of in-house expertise.
5. Ensure that the County Council takes into account the diversity of those living within West Sussex and meets it obligations to provide services for all the County’s citizens.    
6. Promote the Living Wage, making work pay. We will achieve this by paying all council staff and those employed through council contracts as a minimum, a Living Wage.

David Hide outside St Margaret’s Church Warnham

David Hide is Labour’s candidate for the District by-election on the 16^thFebruary, a by- election triggered by the shock resignation of Council Leader Robert Nye

I am standing at this election to provide local residents with a real choice. The choice between the present Tory agenda of cutting services for the sake of cuts or an alternative that looks at managing council revenues to ensure efficient delivery of important services. After all, we all pay our taxes in the expectation that the Council delivers something in return for our hard earned money.

This is your opportunity to elect an independent minded representative.  I have no desire to join the cosy club that runs Horsham District Council which has led to the Conservative run council being able to rely on the support of the Lib Dems when pushing through unpopular decisions.

The Lib Dems are supposed to be the opposition, and yet time and again they vote with their Conservative colleagues. I feel that this is bad for local democracy,  and has led to very poor decision making.   Just look what the Lib Dem leader said following Robert Nye’s resignation. “ Personally I am very sorry. I think Robert is a good leader, has been a good leader … I think he’s a good guy and he had some good ideas for the council”

Surely it is not the role of the opposition leader to praise the Leader of the Council at a time when the policies the Council has been pursuing have brought about an unprecedented level of discontent. In contrast Horsham Labour Party had publically twice called for the resignation of Robert ‘Golden Opportunity’ Nye for his part in the bungled negotiations on the West of Horsham development. We were about to call for his resignation for a third time following his outrageous leadership in respect of Broadbridge Heath Leisure centre  debacle, but  thankfully he got in first and resigned.

Horsham Labour Party oppose large scale development

Did you know that only the Labour Party has opposed large scale developments across Horsham District?  We spoke in the Council Chamber against the 2000 homes that will be built in the West of Horsham development, something   Robert Nye both as a local councillor and Leader of Horsham District Council enthusiastically supported.

At the Planning meetings every Conservative councillor voted in favour of these massive developments. We recently joined forces with SOSA, Save our Sussex Alliance and demonstrated outside our local MP’s office against large scale development across our countryside. No other political party took part.

We support sustainable development based on local need and not based on property  developer greed.

Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre

Can the Tories and Lib Dems be trusted to carry out a fair and unbiased review or will the extension of the consultation period around the future of our Leisure facility continue to be a sham?

Robert Nye may have resigned and the new council leader claims to want to find an acceptable resolution for all concerned, but why was it when the Council had an opportunity to include Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre in the crucial service tendering process which is already underway, did the whole council vote to exclude our Leisure Centre?

This is yet another example of the Lib Dems and Tories working together within the cosy club that is Horsham District Council.

Only Horsham Labour Party has come down unambiguously in favour of retaining Broadbridge Heath Leisure centre.

Council Services available to all of us in our hour of need

Horsham Labour Party is the only party locally who has stood up for the council run services we all rely upon.

We have campaigned against the closing of our youth clubs, day centres and holiday play schemes, and for the building of affordable homes across the district.

Why is good opposition so important?

Simple, without it, the delivery of council services cost all of us more.

The one party, big tent politics that the Tories run in Horsham leads to poor decision making  and has led to massive overspends on projects such as the Acorn Recycling Scheme.

Rather than investing in staff, the Tories have wasted enormous sums of money hiring consultants who have produced glossy reports which more often than not highlight the need to cut services. Just look at this latest fiasco whereby a consultant produced the wholly discredited report on the future of Broadbridge  Heath Leisure centre and recommended demolition.

Aren’t  expensive consultants more likely to produce reports with conclusions that they feel that the  Council wishes to hear?

Should the Council Ignore its own Core Strategy Documents?

We  believe it shouldn’t and only a feral council would consider doing so, that is exactly  what Robert Nye told us he intended doing when we met up with him to submit  a petition for more affordable housing on  the West of Horsham Development.

When we challenged him on the fact that his core strategy document stated that all developments larger than 15 units will contain a minimum of 40%affordable housing , he barked back at us in front of Lib Dem councillors ‘I don’t care what it says in the core strategy document ‘ And he didn’t. He bent over backwards to accommodate the wishes of the developers ahead of the needs of Horsham residents.  And  the response of the Lib Dems at that meeting? Silence

And finally, to bring us up to date, let me explain why a well run council must have a healthy opposition and not one in the pocket of the executive.

Take the recent national example of the RBS chief executive Stephen  Hester  who was set to receive a bonus in the region of £1 million. Effectively a reward for failure.  The vast majority of the British public have been  appalled at the prospect. Most politicians stated that they were uneasy at the prospect of him receiving such a bonus, but it was only on Sunday when the Labour opposition stated that it would bring this issue to the House and force a vote, did Stephen Hester do the right thing and decline the bonus.

It is universally accepted that it was the opposition party which drove Hestor into making this decision. That is why we need to elect people who will stand up for the electorate and act as a true opposition.  A good opposition delivers better government.

About me

I am 47 and live in the centre of Horsham. I respect the view of those who would prefer to vote for a local candidate but I would argue it is better to elect the best candidate rather than necessarily the most local. If you wish to elect someone who will stand up for local services, oppose large scale development , support and understand the needs of those living and working within the rural economy, first and foremost be prepared to listen to and act upon local opinion then I respectfully request that you consider voting for me.

I have always worked in the rural economy, and am a grower of plants, both by vocation and  profession. I am currently the technical manager for a large wholesale nursery based just outside Arundel and have amassed considerable technical expertise and business skills during a lifetime in this industry.  I have chaired industry wide bodies and for four years was an International Director of a grower association

Outside of politics I am interested in music both playing and listening, walking, spending many hours exploring the Downs, and by way of a bus person’s holiday I am a volunteer with Horsham in Bloom.

Our reaction to his resignation as reported in the County Times the following day was as follows

‘Horsham Labour Party has twice before called for his resignation on the grounds that we feel he has led a discredited council which has consistently ignored the needs of Horsham residents, most noticeably over the botched negotiations he led in respect of the West of Horsham development where he delivered profits for developers ahead of the affordable homes we so desperately need, and indeed the council has previously identified.  Had Cllr Nye still been leader, Horsham Labour Party would have once more called for his resignation as a result of the rushed consultation process relating to the future of our district leisure facilities.’

This by election provides local residents with the opportunity to vote against a council that has   delivered massive overspends in  its  flagship Acorn Recycling scheme, seen spending on  consultants rocket , proposed selling off of our community assets such as the Old Town Hall, and proposed the demolition of Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre, not to forget  the massive under delivery of affordable homes. If you like what your Council is doing then vote Tory or Lib Dem for more of the same, but if you want to hear an alternative voice in the Council Chamber that will stand up for local people then  why not support our candidate?

We will post regular by-election updates including details of our candidate and our campaign but in the meantime if you would like to help Labour win on the 16^th of February the please get in contact with Ray Chapman by emailing secretary@horsham-labour.org.uk

From talking to local residents it is clear that many feel disappointed with the level of representation offered by our councillors.

Too many councillors once elected are never seen again, or move away like the Lib Dem from Horsham Park who lives in Hastings, but still claimed travel expenses when he attended council meetings.

The poor level of representation we have received in areas like Horsham Park over the last four years is a major motivation for us to offer residents a greater commitment to public service at a time when important decisions are being made about cuts to local services. Residents feel their views are not listened to and many people don’t even know who their councillors are! We believe that anyone elected to represent local people should do just that – represent their views on local matters – so if elected we undertake to:

1. Be visible in the local area
2. Attend both council and planning meetings
3. Consult regularly on issues of local concern
4. Feed back on council meetings through regular newsletters and publish a report on our website after council meetings, highlighting what we have said and how we voted
5. Organise regular surgeries to offer help and advice with council issues

 More information about the 2011 elections, including a full list of candidates,  can be found here.

On Tuesday February 16th Horsham Labour party held a fund-raising quiz in Horsham, which was co-hosted by Hazel Blears MP and Andrew Skudder, our candidate at last year’s general election.
Party members from Crawley, Horsham, Arundel & South Downs, Worthing, Brighton and Guildford took part, with a team from Crawley narrowly winning the first prize.

During the evening Hazel Blears spoke passionately about how important it is that the party remains active even in places like Horsham where they have little or no electoral success.  We think she was impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the local party and she promised to help our candidate in Broadbridge Heath, Ray Chapman, but doing some telephone canvassing for him on election day!

Horsham Labour’s chair, David Hide said:

Ray Chapman said:

The quiz night raised funds, raised spirits and encouraged networking between constituency parties. We hope that since her return to Westminster Hazel has been passing on the word to her colleagues about how friendly and welcoming Horsham Labour party is.

A group of agricultural workers within the Horsham constituency (including Horsham Labour party’s chair, David Hide, who works in the agricultural industry)  will be taking part in a national rally and lobby organised by Unite the Union on Wednesday 9th February.  The rally will be calling on the Tory-led government to remove the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board from the Public Bodies Reform Bill.

Participants in the rally contacted their MPs to arrange to meet them in the lobby to discuss this important issue and the effects it would have on many of their constituents.  The Horsham contingent received a reply from their MP, Francis Maude, in which he declined to meet us

We have therefor sent him an open letter to explain some of the things we hoped to explain in person.  The full text of the letters can be found below.

Letter from Francis Maude, Feb 4th 2011

Click here to view

Reply to Francis Maude, Feb 5th 2011

Anybody who is interested in this issue and would like to know more about the AWB, or anybody who thinks they may be affected by this can contact us to find out more. See the ‘Contact’ link at the top of the page.

Ray Chapman, Secretary of Horsham Labour party said:

Horsham Labour Party collected hundredss of signatures demanding that all developments in Horsham deliver a minimum of 40% affordable housing. This reflects the desire of local residents for opportunities for their own families to continue to live and work here. The majority of signatures were of residents from Broadbridge Heath, and the petition would, by any definition, comply with the Government’s policy on localism – local people having their voices heard in the planning process.

And yet, less than a year since this council disgracefully gave permission to Berkeley Homes in disregard of the views of local people, we have the possibility of a similar application being accepted.

This application fails both to meet the council’s own housing target of 40% affordable, and to respond to the demands of local people, but will the Tory council listen to local people or once again demonstrate a greater concern for the interests of the developers?

This would go against the recommendations of the core strategy and district valuer who says that this site can afford to deliver the council’s target. The developer sweeps this aside, claiming that this is just the council’s target.

This target should be met. The Developer offers 10% affordable housing paid in cash rather than built on site, but this offer should be rejected, in line with the council’s core strategy.

For once the council should call the shots on behalf of the people it represents.

Horsham’s Tories have an appalling record on delivering the affordable homes we need, and once again we have an application that fails to satisfactorily match the massive local demand, the requirements of the core strategy and the expert opinion of the council’s own staff. We ask you to reject this application.

Horsham Labour party spoke against this application, on the grounds that the plans contain insufficient affordable housing, with just 20% of the development site to be affordable. Our reactions are below.

David Hide, Chair of Horsham Labour party said:

Ray Chapman, Secretary of Horsham Labour party said: