Political opinion with Cllr James Tidy: Reform's first 100 days in Office

Today marks 100 days since the elections on the 7th May.  The Labour government, colluding with Tory local councils, tried to cancel these elections but it was Reform UK that restored your right to vote.

Our first hundred days as opposition group has yielded successes for Crawley already:

·       Tilgate Parade had a long overdue clean, getting rid of all the pigeon mess that has plagued it for years.  A permanent solution to stopping the mess returning is well underway. ·       The ongoing nuisance of racing cars around Tilgate Park is finally getting action!  Cameras are being installed to catch this noisy and dangerous nuisance.

·       Travellers moved into a site at Furnace Green.  We were present within hours of their arrival and have chased aggressive action to get them removed.  That action was taken, and they soon moved on.

·       There has been another traveller incursion that is much more sensitive.  Direct and firm action has been taken thanks to Reform, but details on that cannot be shared yet.  It is, however, a great victory for the good people of Crawley.

·       Our Reform councillors and volunteers took it upon themselves to clear away the vast amounts of rubbish in Three Bridges Playing Fields.  Dozens of bags of litter have been cleared away, including dozens of needles, found in three drug dens in the wooded area of the park.  Police have been shown these sites and they will be conducting patrols in the area.  The difference is real and noticeable.  More areas across Crawley will be visited soon and we will be announcing our next exciting project within weeks. ·       Crawley Open House is a great charity offering shelter and assistance to the homeless.  Many people present themselves there have been victims of domestic abuse, sudden unexpected hard times and anything else you can think of.  They run an efficient, compassionate and very clean operation.  We visited them recently to offer donations of sugar, water and various spreads that they needed and even provided and cooked a meal for all the residents there.  It went down a treat and the gratitude they showed was heartfelt and genuine.  Many people may still hold a general stigma to homelessness, assuming one can only get there through some form of substance abuse, but that is not the case.  If you were looking to get involved in charitable work, I highly recommend Crawley Open House. ·       The Tilgate Park World War I memorial was unceremoniously wiped away under false pretences under the direction of Labour.  They claimed it was not maintained – the artist denies this.  They claimed it didn’t have permission – but it had been there for years in full knowledge with previous councillors posing proudly for photos with it.  Their insult to the memory of the fallen and our armed forces was not ignored by Reform.  We raised a motion in the council to have it restored.  We will be watching this very closely, so it is done right. ·       Three Bridges Station renovation costs have ballooned from an early estimate of £1.5 million to a staggering £8 million!  After repeated questions on why the cost has risen so much, Labour had little more to offer other than vaguely pointing to inflation.  We are scrutinising this project closely to make sure our tax money is being spent wisely.  Labour did not expect this and were hostile to the idea.  This is the first time they’ve had a real opposition, it seems.

We have all had a lot of case work from the people of Crawley, desperate and relieved to find councillors they can trust who will hear their complaints and take action.  These range from noise complaints to parking issues to helping the victims of the recent fires, to more complex and deeply personal assistance to some very desperate people.

We are only in opposition, and our ability to change the direction of Crawley policy while Labour still have a majority is zero.  We can, however, engage in direct action with the support of the council to improve people’s lives and that’s exactly what we’ve done.  We enjoy this work and want to do more.  There is so much more good to come.