Potholes, cycle paths and coronavirus feature at Crawley Question Time

The annual event allows members of the public to aim questions at a panel made up of councillors, police, doctors and the youth mayor.

Held a few hours after the Prime Minister called for people to self-isolate if they had coronavirus symptoms, it was little wonder that this year’s meeting was poorly attended compared to previous years.

But those who did venture out had plenty to say.

The panel was chaired by Jo Gumb, of White Label Creative, and was made up of Crawley Borough Council leader Peter Lamb, Chief Inspector Shane Baker, of Sussex Police, Dr Laura Hill, of the Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group, Youth Mayor Leon Mukazi, Conservative leader Duncan Crow, Dr Pennie Ford, of the West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group, and Ifield councillor Peter Smith. 

The coronavirus was never far from people’s minds.

With people panic-buying hand sanitiser, many have been left without.

One gentleman asked if a flannel soaked in vinegar was a suitable substitute, but Dr Hill’s response was clear – soap and water is perfectly adequate.

Adding that the NHS was ‘preparing full throttle for what will be a very difficult few months’, she said: “As a community we need to heed the advice that we’re hearing – believe it and encourage others to follow it too.”

Mr Lamb appealed to people not to go to the town hall unless absolutely necessary, pointing to the council’s website as a way to deal with most issues.

Looking at the possible impact on local services, he added: “You will see a reduction in things like grass cutting and you’ll probably see a reduction in bin collections.

“Unfortunately it can’t be avoided. I hope people, in the middle of a national crisis, will be sympathetic about that.”

You can’t have a public meeting without the issue of potholes being raised.

It’s been years since West Sussex drivers could take to the roads without having to navigate craters of varying sizes while risking damage to their cars.

But there was a glimmer of hope from Mr Crow.

He told the meeting there would soon be an announcement from the county council about money for highways.

While he wouldn’t elaborate, he added: “Locally we are putting more in. Two or three months from now the roads will be looking a lot better than what they are now.”

Another highways question was asked about cycle paths, specifically the one being built along Ifield Avenue.

One woman, who lives close to the junction with Warren Drive asked why the three-metre-wide cycle path was necessary and raised concerns about the safety of the junction in general.

She said: “What can we do about the road safety because somebody is going to get killed. I live there – the near misses are constant.”

Concerned about the safety of the crew clearing trees to make way for the path, she told Mr Crow she had seen them cutting branches directly over Ifield Avenue without the use of safety barriers, while others used their chainsaws in unsafe ways.

Mr Crow said he would take the concerns back to the county council highways team.

There was support for the need for a cycle path, with one man saying his sons could now ‘cycle along Ifield Avenue and not be run over by lorries’.

An interesting fact was shared by Mr Smith, who said the money for the cycle path came from contributions made when Sainsbury’s was built in West Green – some 25 years ago.

Another health question focussed on autism.

Last year was the 10th anniversary of the Autism Act and the panel was asked what had been done in the past decade to support adults and children who have the condition.

Dr Hill acknowledged that it still took too long for people to receive a diagnosis but told the meeting that a lot of work was being done across Sussex to address that problem and the need for support.

She said: “More needs to be done but it is in hand and hopefully within the next six to 12 months we will hopefully start to refine and improve services, particularly shorter diagnosis times.”

Information about Crawley Borough Council services and the latest coronavirus advice can be found via www.crawley.gov.uk .