Letter to the editor: Bring back Ifield's parish voice
Says Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Cllr Michael Jones ['Town's voice', Crawley Observer, March 18]: "Again, under the auspices of a new unitary, it could be that there are opportunities to consider boundary expansion, or merging, where existing parishing exists...What is important is to ensure that Crawley maintains a voice where it might otherwise be lost..."
May I remind Cllr Jones the voice of Ifield Parish Council was lost in 1947.
So, as Crawley continues to debate its future growth and governance, it is worth remembering this fact has quietly slipped from public awareness: Ifield was once a self-governing parish.
For centuries, the ancient Parish of Ifield - with St Margaret’s Church as the geographical and administrative centre - managed its own affairs through the parish vestry — a local assembly responsible for everything from poor relief to the upkeep of roads and boundaries. This was not symbolic governance; it was real, practical, and rooted in the community it served.
Following the Local Government Act of 1894, this evolved into a formal parish council, giving Ifield an elected local voice within the emerging modern system of democracy.
That voice did not fade naturally. It was removed.
With the designation of Crawley as a New Town after the Second World War, Ifield — along with other historic settlements — was absorbed into a larger administrative structure. In the process, its distinct local governance disappeared.
Today, Ifield remains a place of deep history and identity: an ancient Parish with a medieval church, historic landscapes, and a strong sense of community. Yet it lacks the most local tier of democratic representation that many smaller villages across England still retain.
At a time when decisions about development, infrastructure and landscape are becoming ever more significant — particularly in areas such as land west of Ifield — it is reasonable to ask whether the current structures truly provide a sufficiently local voice.
This is not a call to turn back the clock, but a call to learn from it.
Ifield once governed itself. It understood its own character, needs and limits. As we look to the future, we should at least be open to restoring a stronger, more local voice for the community — whether through new governance arrangements, neighbourhood structures, or other forms of representation.
Because places with deep roots deserve more than distant decisions.
They deserve a voice.
Richard W. Symonds
Independent Candidate for Ifield and Bewbush
Ifield Street, Ifield Village
Crawley, West Sussex