More than 65 low-emission vehicles – some not seen on UK roads before – completed the second annual Brighton to London RAC Future Car Challenge this weekend. The challenge put to the entrants was who could use the least amount of energy whilst travelling the sixty mile route.
The vehicles:
Those taking part ranged from enthusiasts driving their own vehicles to major car manufacturers including BMW, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Renault, smart, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Land Rover. Many of the vehicles, such as the Land Rover Range_e, BMW Active-e and Volkswagen Golf Blue e-motion will not be on sale for two or more years and had rarely been seen on UK roads. As well as low-emission conventional (internal combustion) engined cars, the entry list included electric vehicles, hybrid models and cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The entrants and the route:
The entrants started this morning from Madeira Drive, Brighton at 7.30am each were flagged off by the Mayor of Brighton Cllr Anne Meadows. Many of those who took part are wellknown motoring celebrities – including British Formula One legend and 1996 World Champion, Damon Hill OBE, Quentin Willson (TV presenter and magazine columnist), Gordon Murray (former F1 designer), Mark Goodier (Smooth Radio DJ) and Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs TV programme presenter).
Source: www.futurecarchallenge.com
Shelley popped down to see what all the noise was about and found there was no noise whatsoever! In fact, the cars were so quiet the risk of being run over by several of these amazing vehicles was a high risk Shelley got to meet some wonderful people at the event including our very own Mayor Carol Eade and Youth Mayor Pravin Sanasy. Along side the two Mayors, Shelley got to speak to the delightful Damon Hill, Robert Llewelyn and Mark Goodier.
The name Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club derives from the Business Development Area we are in the middle of.
Last week Henry Smith MP for Crawley was made an honorary member of the Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club.
By an amazing quirk of fate the Gatwick Diamond Rotary are the 60th Club in District 1250 and when formed it was also the Diamond Jubilee of Crawley New Town being given the Green Light in November 1947, and the 60th Anniversary of the Queens Wedding
The Gatwick Diamond is an important economic area, centred on Gatwick Airport, situated between London and Brighton.
their Motto is “Service Above Self” and above all whilst helping the Local Community we have “Fun and Fellowship”
At Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club they are always looking for new members from all walks of life with a wide spectrum of talents that the Rotary can tap into so as to be able to respond quickly & efficiently to any situation that might occur. They want to concentrate on helping the Local Community wherever possible but at the same time respond immediately to any emergency anywhere in the world that might occur.
It is team effort that has got us this far and the Rotary will continue to work together to build our club for the future. They embrace technology wherever possible to get their name promoted using Social media platforms like Facebook, linkedIn and Twitter.
The Rotary need a multiplicity of new ideas and skills for the club to embrace the 21st century.
They aim to change the Public’s perception of Rotary as being an “Old Man’s Club” and introduce a new dynamism. Namely they want a vibrant club with members of all ages, sexes, creeds & job capabilities so that they can tap into their abilities to respond quickly & efficiently to any situation that might occur, whether locally or on the International front. The Rotary already have a multiplicity of ideas and skills in the club but you can never have too many.
They will continue to invite new member to join the team using technology and the media wherever possible to help us in this objective. Their objective is to achieve Diamond Membership in our Club and to become a real Gem of a Club.
Current list of Members
Dr Mansour Jumaa – President & Founder Member -Leadership Training
Ernest Izard – Immediate Past President, Founder Member, Treasurer & Charity Chair – Royal British Legion
Betty Izard – President Elect & Membership Chair
Graham Cridland – Vice President & Youth Chair – West Sussex Angling Academy
Winner of Heart FM Local Heroes The Outstanding Community Contribution award &
‘Heart’s Local Hero 2011′
Joanna Carter-Robinson – Past President 2009-2010 & Founder Member
On Sunday 7th August Three Bridges FC showed Essex United the way it is done by beating them 3-2.
With Mark Wright, star of The Only Way Is Essex and Jack Tweed, widower of Jade Goody playing for the Essex United team it was a game looked on by many.
The Only Way is Essex star Mark Wright
The first goal was an impressive sight by Tim River in the 37th minute. James Grant then moved in to give Three Bridges a 2-0 lead just before the end of the first half.
Essex United came back to score just after the whistle for the start of the second half with a great goal by Tom Williams making it 2-1. This was not to last long as shortly after Tim Rivers made another smooth shot to make the score 3-1.
Five minutes later Lee Roget put one in the back of the net for Essex United making the final score 3-2.
We sent Shelley along to film the game and take some photos for you. Shelley spoke to Mark Wright who said “I have enjoyed coming to Crawley and the people have been lovely”.
The full game can be seen here (please be advised there is some bad language in this footage).
Five men have come together to raise money for their chosen charity ‘Help Our Wounded Royal Marines’, formed by Chris Stubbings BEM in March 2010.
Quote from the facebook page:
HELP OUR WOUNDED is a fundraising arm for The Royal Marines Association, Charity Number 206003. HOW was formed on the 4th March 2010 because of the number of seriously injured Royal Marines returning from operational tours in Afghanistan Iraq and other areas of armed conflict. HELP OUR WOUNDED is a community based effort seeking to help the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (Registered Charity No 1134205), meet it’s target of raising £6M by the 350th anniversary of the Corps in October 2014. A Campaign Board has been established to coordinate the Corps Family effort working towards this testing target and HELP OUR WOUNDED is represented on that board.
What, when and where
On December the 3rd and 4th Dave Lilburn MBE, Stuart Baldwin, Cai Ives, Stuart Bourne and Stuart Power will be pulling a sledge from London to Brighton to help raise awareness and funds for this great charity.
Quote from the facebook page:
Myself (Stuart Bourne, Regional Fund Raiser for the South Eat) along with David Lilburn,Cai Ives,Stuart Baldwin and Stuart Power will be pulling a sledge to rasie funds for HELP OUR WOUNDED ROYAL MARINES over the weekend stopping at Crawley where there will be a fundraisng event on the Saturday evening. We have also enlisted some Santa Helpers as traffic guides (Reserves) and these are : Gay Wise, Andy Hains, Dale Lilburn and Ashton Lilburn.
As well as raising funds we will be asking for donations of xmas presents so that we may pass these onto the children of those brave Royals who have given their lives and will not be around this xmas so please lets do all we can to try and raise a smile and show we do care and will never forget them.
We hope as many people will join in around the country and mirror what we are doing. We would like this to become an annual event, so take up the challenge and get pulling for HELP OUR WOUNDED ROYAL MARINES.
We wish them all the best
Shelley was invited down to the martial arts school Lumpini in Priestley Way, Crawley to speak to the men involved. We also spoke to John Jarvis who is a trainer at Lumpini who have offered to train the men to full fitness for the event. John told us they were more than honoured to help the men get fit for this feat and to support them in many more ways, including giving them a stall at their forthcoming Muaythai Boxing event happening this Saturday at Effingham Park Hotel. More details can be found here.
We would like to wish them all the best. We will be covering their arrival into Crawley on December 3rd. Please show your support in any way you can.
Henry Smith has welcomed an announcement from Ceres Power that they have opened a new technology centre in Crawley creating 170 new jobs in the local economy.
Henry said:
“Companies such as local, leading green economy firm Ceres Power are proving how much of an asset they are for our town, having just announced 170 new positions. Today’s announcement follows on from Siemens decision to create 600 new positions in Three Bridges.
“It was reassuring to learn today that, in the three months to May, unemployment data (released today) shows joblessness continuing to fall in Crawley (now at 4.1%). For those still out of work I appreciate it remains 100% of a problem but I’m convinced that reducing red tape and our national debt will further stimulate the economy.
“Over the past year, some 1,500 investment projects from 54 different countries have been landed by the UK, creating and safeguarding almost 100,000 positions in the private sector.”
What could be better on a warm summer’s day than sitting outside in beautiful woodland surroundings listening to great music and enjoying a pint! Crawley’s 20th annual Folk and Beer Festival offers all this and more from Friday 24th – Sunday 26th June at The Hawth.
All ages will find something to entertain them at this family friendly fest. There are free performances from Spare Parts who play fiddle and concertina, blues from Cajun Dawgs, alternative folk from 4Square, contemporary Irish music with Ciarog plus free workshops in music, song and dance all leading up to the Festival Bal (ticketed event) on Saturday evening. Everyone will enjoy the free colourful dance displays in traditional styles and Morris dancing and then how about enjoying food from around the world at one of the many refreshment stands.
For those who love to shop, the festival market offers the chance to pick up unique pieces of clothing, beautiful craftwork and jewellery, fresh herbs and flowers and much more.
The Copper Family
For older visitors there is also the Beer Festival offering ales, ciders and perries from the beer tent all weekend. There are 45 different drinks to choose from, all from small, local breweries. Sample a pint of Rip Tide from Littlehampton or Brighton Blonde. For those who find themselves over indulging at the weekend there’s also Guilt Complex from Surrey Hills Co and Shooting Star from the Hammerpot Brewery. There will even be a beer from Maidenbower Brewery, you can’t get much more local than that!
Don’t forget to book for the ticketed events too, which this year include the Polish Pogues Warsaw Village Band (Fri 24 June 7.30pm), blues from The Elevators (Fri 24 June, 8.15pm), local folk legends The Copper Family (Sat 25 June, 7.15pm) and The Demon Barbers – Time Gentlemen Please (Sun 26 June 5pm), fresh from winning Best Live Act at the 2011 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
The Demon Barbers Roadshow
If you really want to get into the festival spirit, we have great on-site camping facilities from just £10 and as always, under 12s go free. So why not bring the whole family along!
West and East Sussex Fire & Rescue Services will be hosting a high profile road safety day at the M23 Pease Pottage Services next Wednesday (May 11th).
This special event has been planned to support the official launch of the United Nations Decade of Road Safety Action on May 11th, which is being marked simultaneously by countries worldwide.
To show their support on launch day, Fire Services from around the UK will be staging their own road safety events at motorway service areas right across the country.
In 2010 in Sussex, 1726 road traffic collisions were recorded for occupational road users, of which 252 people were either killed or seriously injured. This figure alone represents 30% of the overall number of incidents recorded on the county’s roads last year where people suffered serious or life threatening injuries.
Firefighters from both West and East Sussex, alongside colleagues from the County Council’s Road Safety Team and Sussex Police, will be raising awareness of a range of road safety issues. They will also be promoting ‘COSTS’ – the Company Operator Safer Transport Scheme – which has been specifically developed to address the dangers faced by business drivers, including the effects of fatigue, exceeding designated business vehicle speed limits and the dangers of distraction through mobile phone use.
A crashed car display will give drivers a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of collisions and safety demonstrations will be given using the seatbelt sled. There will also be fire and rescue equipment displays, short road safety films, voluntary eyesight testing, as well as road safety professionals on hand to chat informally to drivers.
West Sussex Deputy District Commander for Crawley and Mid Sussex, Richard Davy, who has organised the Pease Pottage event, said:
“Unfortunately, firefighters often see first hand the devastating aftermath of road traffic collisions and this event is part of our continuing campaign to drive down the numbers of people losing their lives, often needlessly, on the county’s roads.
“It is also an opportunity to join Fire and Rescue Services around the UK in supporting an important global road safety campaign. The emphasis of the day is on education, not enforcement – so if, as a result of speaking to us or seeing the demonstration, people stop one bad driving habit or start one good one, then lives could well be saved.”
The road safety day will be held from 9am until 2pm. Public access to the motorway services will not be affected.
Henry Smith today welcomed news that Tesco has invested £30,849 worth of ‘Tesco for Schools and Clubs’ equipment into local schools and clubs over the last year.
Henry said:
“Crawley is in the top fifty places nationally in which Tesco has invested the most into.
“I want to congratulate the community-minded spirit of locals for collecting so many vouchers at the till and to thank Tesco for the scheme. Over a million were collected last year, and I would encourage people to keep it up this year until the deadline on May 8th. So if they’re hanging around the house or kicking around the car then now’s the time to drop them off at your participating school or club!”
Tesco’s Government Affairs Director, Ben Coates, told Henry:
“For the first time, we are encouraging customers to choose a local school or club to receive their spare vouchers, by setting ‘postboxes’ in Community Champion stores. We hope this will contribute to even more equipment being distributed than the 440,000 items worth £9.3 million we gave nationally in 2011.”
It will be the icing on the cake for West Sussex Meals on Wheels users as part of celebrations for the Royal Wedding.
On Thursday 28th April, the day before the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, West Sussex County Council’s Meals on Wheels Service will be adding a free piece of wedding cake to the menu.
It will go out as an extra item to everyone who receives a meal on that day and will be supplied by the Meals on Wheels food providers Apetito and Nibbles.
The Service has a wide range of meals on offer, from hot cooked meals to salads and desserts. Meals can be delivered frozen as well, to enable residents to stock up their freezer.
County Council Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services, Peter Catchpole, said: “The Royal Wedding will be a wonderful occasion and this is a great chance for some of our residents to celebrate it.
“There are many reasons why someone may want to take up our Meals on Wheels Service. They may be less able to cook their own meals, or have just come out of hospital.”
The Service is delivered by the WRVS across the county and can also include dietary needs such as diabetic, lower fat, gluten free, reduced salts and pureed meals and desserts.
There’s also an afternoon tea service providing sandwiches and homemade cakes.
An assessment from your doctor is not needed to apply for Meals on Wheels and people can contact the service direct. Contact your local Meals on Wheels kitchen or visit the County Council website, www.westsussex.gov.uk
In celebration of her 85th Birthday, Her Majesty the Queen has issued as local company, Aerotron Limited, with the Award to Industry for outstanding achievements in International Trade.
Crawley MP, Henry Smith said:
“This is the second time that the Queen’s Award to Industry has been conferred upon Aerotron Limited in this category and it is a testament to the hard, dedicated work of the company’s staff in ensuring that Crawley is seen as an international location for business and that Britain is seen as ‘open for business’ abroad.
“The Prime Minister only yesterday emphasised the need to sell ourselves abroad and the need to be much more competitive internationally – Aerotron Limited is clearly an example to others in this respect.
“I find it extremely heartening to once again see Crawley leading the way at the forefront of British business, selling our services with our workforce both at home and abroad.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate Aerotron Limited’s Chairman, Mr Westley, his two sons and the rest of his team on their well earned Award.”
In 2012 Crawley will have a St. George’s Day parade presenting cultural, working and educational aspects of living in Crawley. This will be followed by a display of music and dancing in Queen’s square.
There are already some excellent events celebrating various cultures that contribute to life in Crawley. There are some excellent events celebrating St. George’s Day. We now wish to add to this and hold a parade to celebrate out English culture.
This parade will take place on Sunday 22nd April 2012 the day before St. George’s Day.
The Parade will be non-political and our aim is to hold an event that is fun for all those that participate and enjoyable for all those that watch.
Volunteers are needed to help to organise the 2012 St. George’s Day Parade.
It is expected that the organising committee will be formed and start regular meetings in September.
We welcome all volunteers for this event and in particular we would like to include people with the skills to help with raising sponsorship, developing a web site, recruiting and organising the participants and the show in Queens Square and help in recruiting volunteers for the Parade. We will also need lots of volunteers for the parade itself.
We offer the opportunity for local businesses and organisations to enter floats and to sponsor the event.
We would also like to hear from anyone already planning St. George’s day event to avoid clash of schedules.
Volunteers and Sponsors should contact Richard Miller:
A £3 million countywide road maintenance programme has got underway in West Sussex this week.
West Sussex County Council has started work on its annual series of surface dressing schemes.
Surface dressing involves spraying a coating of bitumen on to the road, followed by one or more layers of hard stone chippings.
More than 150 roads throughout the county are scheduled to be resurfaced in this way over the next two months.
Lionel Barnard, Deputy Leader of the County Council with responsibility for Highways and Transport, said: “Surface dressing is carried out every year. This year the programme has been increased to seal in repairs carried out following another severe winter as well as to protect against future weather damage.
“This is a very cost effective way of protecting and prolonging the life of our roads. It’s quick and easy and traffic can be allowed to run on the new surface almost immediately – avoiding lengthy closures and disruption.
“Sealing the road in this way prevents water getting into the foundations and weakening the road, which can lead to potholes developing. Other benefits include an increase in skid resistance which helps improve road safety.”
Soon after a surface dressing is applied, the road is swept to remove loose chippings. Advisory and warning signs will be in place and will not be removed from the site until the County Council is satisfied it is safe to do so.
Where possible the County Council will give advance notice of the roadworks to residents and advice to ensure their vehicles are not left on roads that are about to be treated. Signs will also be put up advising drivers to drive slowly on recently treated roads.
Lionel added: “It’s easy to think that our roads are in poor condition at this time of year with the unfortunately inevitable crop of new potholes appearing. However the Department for Transport tells us that the roads in West Sussex remain among some of the best in the country.
“The surface dressing programme is an essential element of maintaining our roads in their present condition and we hope motorists will be patient while this work takes place.”
During the 2010/2011 financial year the County Council invested £15 million in permanent road repairs including resurfacing, deep patching and surface dressing. More than 25,500 tonnes of chippings, 3,000 tonnes of bitumen and 35,000 tonnes of new Tarmac were used.
All Children and Family Centres In West Sussex Will Stay Open
ALL 49 Children and Family Centres (CFCs) in West Sussex are to stay open, but changes in the way they are managed and a new funding formula have been unveiled.
A report on the service is to be considered by the County Council’s Children and Young People’s Services Select Committee later this month.
It asks for comments on a series of proposals before a final decision is taken by West Sussex Cabinet Member for Children and Families, Peter Evans.
He said: “As people are probably aware in some parts of the country there are proposals to close CFCs or Sure Start centres.
“I am pleased to say that in West Sussex we are not proposing to adopt this approach.
“CFCs provide an invaluable service to parents and children, and I am sure that we are all proud of the way they have developed and the strong community links they have forged.
“They will also be at the very cutting edge of our ‘Think Family’ early intervention and family support plans.”
The Select Committee report says that a new management model has been developed to deliver an ‘equitable countywide service in the most effective and cost efficient way’.
Proposals include moving to a ‘cluster management model’ based on geographical areas.
This will involve merging the management of a small number of CFCs:
• Maidenbower and Pound Hill in Crawley
• Storrington and Pulborough
• Rural Steyning and Henfield
• Rural East Grinstead and Bolney
The report also says that a new ‘fair and transparent’ funding formula for individual CFCs has been developed to help target the most vulnerable families.
There will be a detailed staff consultation before any changes are made.
The report says there will be an overall reduction in CFC posts but the County Council will try to avoid any job losses unless absolutely necessary.
Some of the savings from reduced management costs will be used to fund new front-line centre co-ordinator posts.
The County Council will also consult with each Centre Partnership Group to ensure that as many families as possible know that their centre will not be closing, although there may be some changes in the management and staffing.
Peter added: “This consultation will also provide a useful opportunity to obtain the view of parents so that each centre can plan and offer services that respond to local needs and priorities.”
The Children and Young People’s Services Select Committee meets on Wednesday April 20.
Committee Chairman, Richard Burrett, said: “Children and Family Centres are an important resource and a focal point in local communities.
“I am sure that Members of the Committee will welcome the opportunity to examine the principles and proposals for the future management of Children and Family Centres.”
Make your summer seem that little bit brighter by enjoying The Hawth’s selection of comedy and laughing your way through the season. The theatre enjoyed sell out performances by the likes of Jimmy Carr, Milton Jones and Micky Flanagan in Spring and with a great choice of comedy in the coming months it looks like Summer is set to be the same.
On Sunday 8 May, 8pm The Studio plays host to Ha Ha Holmes! The Beast Of The Blistervilles. Following the hit national tours of Ha Ha Hamlet! and Ha Ha Hitler! this hilarious new show, from theatre’s funniest parodists sees Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson embark on their most dangerous adventure yet. The Ha Ha boys always offer a great night out, with mad-cap, knockabout humour. Don’t miss them. Tickets: £15
Later in the month Cornish funny man Jethro will be performing at the Theatre (Tuesday 24 May 7.30pm). He tells tales of rural life in a warm, Cornish accent with some serious nonsensical twaddle! Contains adult material. Tickets: £18.50
It’s a real night of laughs on Tuesday 24 May. As well as Jethro we have Rob Rouse: Great Escape in the Studio at 8.15pm, so there really is something to make everyone laugh, no matter what your sense of humour
Rob has a girlfriend; he also has a toddler and a dog. Rob struggles to make plans, faffs a lot and generally makes bad decisions. This often makes his life very awkward. The good news for you is, the more Rob behaves like an idiot, the more scrapes he gets into and the more funny stories he has to tell you!
As seen on The Friday Night Project, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and 5 Live’s 7 Day Sunday Rob Rouse is a real treat for comedy-lovers. Tickets: £12 (discounts: £10)
Why not treat yourself to a truly hilarious evening with one of the UK’s most innovative comedians, Dom Joly on Wednesday 25 May at 8pm. In Welcome To Wherever I Am Dom talks about his extraordinary life since Trigger Happy TV.
In this laugh-out-loud show, Dom talks us through the perils of travelling the world, drinking, skiing down volcanoes, holidaying in Chernobyl and North Korea, trying to fly across the Grand Canyon strapped to an eight foot rocket, discovering that he was at school with Osama Bin Laden and eating from Gillian McKeith’s pants while imprisoned in the Australian jungle. Tickets: £19.50
For tickets please call The Hawth Box Office on 01293 553636 or visit www.hawth.co.uk.
The Hawth’s Classical Season continues this spring with exceptional performances from some of the most highly regarded performers in the business. This May sees a welcome return for some old favourites plus a first time visit from a living legend.
On Sunday 1 May at 3pm legendary baritone Sir Willard White presents a spellbinding performance of Paul Robeson Re-Explored. Joined by a group of outstanding musicians incorporating the renowned Pavao Quartet, they pay tribute to the great Paul Robeson, along with a selection of other music from George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern and Duke Ellington.
Tickets: £20.50
Later in the month on Sunday 22 May 7.30pm the renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra complete their trio of performances of the Great Composers with a celebration of the work of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Local rising star, pianist Warren Mailley-Smith joins the orchestra to perform The Fidelio Overture providing a glorious opening to the concert, followed by the ‘Emperor’ Piano Concerto, one of the most majestic and soulfully beautiful piano concertos. The legendary Fifth Symphony, one of the most popular symphonies in the classical repertoire completes the programme. Tickets: £28 (first four rows: £22)
Before the concert at 6.30pm Dave Billinge introduces Beethoven’s Symphony No.5, with an informative and entertaining 30 – 40 minute Pre-show talk.
Tickets: £3.75. Hawth Friends and students who have booked for the concert: Free
Why not make your evening even more special and enjoy a 3 course set meal in the Spotlight restaurant prior to the concert (from 5pm). Tickets: £16.75. Please book in advance at the Box Office.
To book your tickets call The Hawth Box Office on 01293 553636 or visit www.hawth.co.uk.
Town voters have got just four days to register to vote.
Borough elections and a UK-wide referendum are taking place on Thursday May 5 and Crawley Council is urging residents to make sure they have a chance to vote.
The final deadline is Thursday April 14 and there’s still time to register for a postal vote too. Just call Electoral Services on 01293 438346 or print off the form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk
You may have received publicity material about the referendum through your door which includes a postal vote application form.
Please be aware this application is for a postal vote in the referendum only and you will still need to request a postal vote from Crawley Council or visit your local polling station on May 5 to vote in the borough elections.
Twelve seats on Crawley Borough Council are up for grabs in the borough elections.
This year there are elections in every council ward except Broadfield North, Broadfield South and West Green. This is because the council is elected in thirds, which means the council holds elections in three years out of four, with a few different wards not having an election each year.
Elections are your chance to influence the way your town is run. It’s your democratic right to vote for the candidates of your choice. But only those who are on the electoral register by April 14 will be able to vote.
The referendum is on the voting system used for elections to the UK Parliament. The question being put to voters on Thursday May 5 is: “At present, the UK uses the ’first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?”
The Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog, will send a booklet to every household in the UK with information about how to have your say on May 5.
For more information call Andrew Oakley, Electoral Services Manager, on 01293 438346 or email andrew.oakley@crawley.gov.uk or visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk
BBC Watchdog Galvanised Into Investigative Acton By Crawley MP’s Stand Against Unscrupulous Private Parking Firms
Henry Smith’s stand against an irresponsible parking firm in Crawley has prompted last night’s BBC Watchdog investigation report into the experiences of motorists, including many local residents concerning the behaviour of rouge private parking firms.
Henry said:
“BBC Watchdog got in touch with me recently concerning cases of abuse by private parking firms which I have been receiving from across Crawley and the country following my submission to Parliament of my Consumer Protection (Private Car Parks) Bill.
“I have been in touch with the numerous local Crawley residents who have fallen victim to such unscrupulous behaviour and have passed on all of the cases of those residents who were happy for me to release their details to BBC Watchdog.
“Private parking firms secure the details of the registered keeper of a vehicle through the DVLA. I have recently received evidence to demonstrate that between January 2009 and January 2010, one million such requests were made despite there only being just over 40 million UK vehicle records held by the DVLA – this means that almost one in every forty vehicles each year could be being penalised by such private operators with virtually no meaningful protections in place to protect them.
“I have received letters from concerned motorists across the country who have fallen victims to a minority of rouge, privately operated car parks through intimidating correspondence by demanding payment when no breach of parking conditions has in reality occurred. These firms take advantage of a loop-hole in the law and that’s why I’ve introduced a Private Members Bill to Parliament to protect consumers by ensuring local councils have the power to licence their operation. Various local councils have backed my proposal which is self-financing through a small levy on the private parking operators themselves rather than an additional burden on the taxpayer as would be the result through any regulatory initiative.”
Ahead of the game with health and wellbeing agenda
West Sussex will be served by a new Health and Wellbeing Board a year early, after being selected as an ‘early implementer’ by the Department for Health.
West Sussex County Council has been working with local partners on proposals in recent months and has now announced the formal establishment of a Board which will meet for the first time in May.
The Boards form part of the Government’s reforms of the NHS and have to be in place everywhere by April 2012.
West Sussex has a strong history of partnership working between the County Council and health organisations, and is setting up a shadow Board a year early.
County Council Leader Louise Goldsmith explained: “We are well placed in West Sussex to meet the proposed health changes and are working closely with our partners.
“Health and wellbeing is a priority for the County Council, and we are at the forefront of local authorities, leading the way on public health. As such, we have been selected as an ‘early implementer’ by the Department of Health.”
Over the next year the shadow Board will help shape the future of the health service in West Sussex as the changes are rolled out nationally, and will help influence key decisions about the future of health provision.
Following the shadow year, the work of the Board will be reviewed and then formally established in April 2012.
Louise added: “Local authorities and the NHS have a strong history of working together in West Sussex. We already jointly commission many of our services together. We have introduced personal budgets for social care and health, and work with districts and boroughs on Health and Wellbeing partnerships across the county.
“Establishing the Board will allow us to move further and faster on the joint working between health, social care and public health for the benefit of residents.”
Early roles for the Board will include giving feedback on NHS West Sussex’s Operating Plan for 2011/12, reviewing plans for jointly commissioned services (mental health, learning disability, drugs and alcohol, children’s services and continuing care) and looking at priorities for West Sussex, and a review of the plans for the £8.9 million of social care funding which has been allocated to NHS West Sussex as part of the Government spending review.
Members of the Board will include representatives from the County Council, District and Borough Councils, voluntary sector, the new GP consortia and health officials.
Shelley got to meet some wonderful people at the event including our very own Mayor Carol Eade and Youth Mayor Pravin Sanasy. Along side the two Mayors, Shelley got to speak to the delightful Damon Hill, Robert Llewelyn and Mark Goodier.
