Sign up for a town twinning visit to Germany

This summer the Crawley Town Twinning Association (CTTA) is arranging a group visit to our twin town of Dorsten in Germany.

Since 1973 Crawley has been linked with Dorsten, with many residents of the two towns forming close and lasting friendships.

Exchanges have been arranged between sports clubs, scout groups, choirs and bands which have given young and old the opportunity to travel abroad for international concerts, competitions and camps.

This year, at the end of August, a group will be going to Germany for a week to visit interesting places in the area and experience life in a different country. On such visits those travelling cover the cost of the coach hire, which also covers the cost of local trips while in Germany.

Accommodation is provided by German families and the following year the Crawley group reciprocates by hosting visitors from Germany in their own homes.

Most of our German friends speak excellent English so it is not necessary to speak German, although opportunities can and do arise should you wish to try out your language skills.

The visit is open to single people, couples and families (usually of up to four people). Children of all ages (accompanied by a parent or grandparent) are particularly welcome.

Anyone interested should contact the secretary Geoff May, Secretary of CTTA, on 01293 885444 or email GMay584553@aol.com

Photo caption: Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Brenda Burgess, and Councillor Bob Burgess on a boat trip in Germany

Crawley Borough Council prevents flooding

Crawley Borough Council officers prevented flooding in Ifield and Maidenbower over the weekend.

Despite the threatened 40mm of rain not materialising, the 20-25mm that did fall in the early hours of Sunday morning would have flooded Crawley if council staff had not lowered Tilgate Lake and cleared rubbish grills in the town’s waterways.

The council’s Emergency Planning Officer, Tim Mordaunt, said: “Throughout the week we worked with the Environment Agency and Met Office to forecast the rain and plan contingencies.

“With the already saturated ground the rain that fell still had the capacity to cause major flooding in Ifield and Maidenbower.”

On Saturday and Sunday the council’s contractors lowered the levels at Tilgate Lake to allow for extra rainwater storage and all trash grills were cleared, which allows the water to flow freely along waterways.

Tim continued: “During high rainfall several tons of rubbish is moved by the rain, which becomes trapped on the trash grills, restricting the flow of water and causing flooding.

“Without this regular clearance we would have flooded in Crawley at the weekend. We also cooperated closely with Gatwick Airport Limited and local authorities in Surrey to ensure the continued clearance of flood waters away from Crawley.

“Many thanks not only to all the staff that were out during this heavy rain at the weekend but also to those who changed their weekend plans and carried a phone with them at all times to make sure they was available if required.”

Councillor Bob Lanzer, Leader of the Council, thanked staff who had helped.

He said: “Thanks very much to everyone involved for your hard work over the weekend.

“Prevention does not always receive the right acknowledgement or profile but we know what happens when it fails. Yours efforts to protect Crawley and its citizens over the weekend are much appreciated.”

Help with tenancy issues

Residents who are having issues with their private sector landlord or housing association can now get help from Crawley Borough Council.

The council’s Tenancy Relations Officer, Becky Gostick, provides a general information service on all aspects of housing law. This includes advice on security of tenure, possession orders, rent and rent arrears and recovery of deposits.

Any resident having problems with their tenancy, or who would like more information on how to deal with these issues, is urged to contact the council.

The Tenancy Relations Officer is also here as a mediation tool between landlord and tenant to assist in the prevention of homelessness.

Councillor Jennifer Millar-Smith, Cabinet member for Housing, said: “The Tenancy Relations Service is a great way for private residents to resolve issues they are having with their landlord and I am delighted that the council can offer this support.

“Becky can help with various housing issues as well as complex legal problems. So if you have any issues, get in touch.”

For more information call Becky Gostick, Tenancy Relations Officer, on 01293

438939 or email rebecca.gostick@crawley.gov.uk

Friends clear up

The Friends of Broadfield Park group started to clear ground on Saturday to make the area an even better place to visit.

The bad weather in January had previously limited work to some necessary pruning of ancient fruit trees.

On Saturday February 27, volunteers and Crawley Borough Council parks staff joined forces to clear overgrown areas of Broadfield Park and continue with the pruning. Welcome help was also provided by the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership.

The Friends’ next planning meeting will be held shortly, with the next working party on site due to be held within six weeks.

Anyone interested in helping should contact Councillor Lee Gilroy on 07593 141806.

Council’s Contact Centre celebrates

Crawley Borough Council’s Contact Centre has been awarded the prestigious Customer Service Excellence Standard (CSES).

The CSES, which is the successor to Charter Mark introduced by the Cabinet Office, aims to make a tangible difference to public service users by encouraging organisations to focus on their individual needs and preferences.

To be recognised as achieving Customer Service Excellence the Contact Centre was successfully assessed against five criteria. These are:

. Customer insight

. The culture of the organisation

. Information and access

. Delivery

. Timeliness and quality of service.

Fewer than 10 per cent of local authority contact centres have achieved the standard.

Councillor Richard Burrett, Cabinet member for Continuous Improvement and Development, said: “This is a prestigious accolade for the council’s Contact Centre and a well-deserved reward for the hard work of so many staff.

“I’m delighted to see that our Contact Centre is one of the first in the country to be recognised with the Customer Service Excellence Standard.”

An assessor visited the Town Hall in January and stated that he was satisfied beyond any doubt that Crawley Borough Council’s Contact Centre meets the requirements of the standard.

The final report commented that a positive impression was made by the enthusiasm of staff and partners involved in promoting customer focussed services throughout the organisation. This included frontline staff through to senior managers. Customers were also keen to confirm the level of service they received.

For more information visit www.cse.cabinetoffice.gov.uk