LETTER: Representatives ‘duck the issue’

We attended the North Horsham Parish Council public meeting last Tuesday. This meeting was called by the parish council to gather local opinion and to consider whether the parish council should vote for or against any expansion of Gatwick Airport.

At the meeting local people and some parish and district councillors expressed their views and highlighted their issues on the impact of any expansion.

All of the opinions given were against any expansion with many reasons being expressed that would have a serious impact on the environment and living standards of the population in the local parish area and all of Horsham and most of West and East Sussex.

Toward the close of the meeting the chairman of the parish council summarised the points raised and noted that no person present had raised anything in favour of any expansion and asked if anyone present wanted to raise points in favour of the airport. No one present provided any support for the expansion and the chairman stated that the council had clear guidance and should therefore decide against any expansion at the forthcoming council meeting due for Thursday.

Unbelievably at the parish council meeting half of the councillors actually voted in favour of the expansion thus making the council opinion ‘undecided’ or ‘sitting on the fence’.

The council has deceived the local residents as to the forthcoming decision of the parish council and behaved, in our opinion, in a way which insults the local democratic process.

The people of North Horsham should be aware of how some of their representatives ‘duck the issue’ when they have the opportunity to put their point of view in public.

EILEEN and RAY LAWES

Langhurstwood Road, Horsham