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Letters this week - August 5
THIS week's letters to the editor.
I READ with disgust (WSCT, July 29) that Lib Dem councillor Clive Burgess who represents Horsham Park – a ward that literally backs onto the council offices - has the highest travel claim at 2,019 in the last financial year.
Mr Burgess' claim is the highest because he lives in Hasting: 117 miles round trip for each meeting that he does by car.
The honest rate payers of Horsham should not be paying for Mr Burgess to travel to and from Hastings to represent them.
The people in Horsham Park would be better served with an elected member that lives in their ward and therefore does not have to claim travel from the already financially hard-pressed tax payer because they can walk from the ward to the council meetings.
Mr Burgess should do the honourable thing and resign immediately and let residents of Horsham Park elect a new local councillor.
And former Lib Dem leader Sally Horner says (WSCT, July 22) that it is acceptable for her to reside in Greece for an extended stay because there are other Lib Dems to help.
The good people of Broadbridge Heath did not vote for anonymous 'others', they voted for Sally Horner; now it would seem that Mrs Horner is quite happy to leave (I should say desert) the good people of Broadbridge Heath leaving them without their duly elected and therefore accountable representative.
I trust you agree with me that this really is quite an appalling situation.
Mrs Horner should do the honourable thing and resign now and allow the voters of Broadbridge Heath the chance to elect a councillor who will not desert them.
Clive Burgess and Sally Horner and other Lib Dems have all preached to the public for years about reducing our travel and carbon footprint - but with Mr Burgess travelling to meetings by gas guzzling car from Hastings and Mrs Horner travelling by aeroplane from Greece - this really is a case of 'do what I say and not what I do', if ever there was one.
I do trust Mrs Horner has no intention of claiming ANY airfares to the UK as travelling expenses to attend council meetings – that really would take the biscuit!
JIM RAE
Beaver Close, Horsham
I NEVER cease to be staggered by the audacity and sheer hypocrisy of the Labour Party (David Hide's letter 'Recovery at risk', County Times, July 8).
Reading David Hide's letter and listening to Labour MPs you would never believe that 13 years of Labour Government has left this country a complete basket case.
From selling our gold reserves at rock bottom prices, to destroying the best pensions schemes in the world, to encouraging profligate spending by banks and individuals, to the blatant waste of public finances, the unchecked rise in immigration, the more than doubling of spending on welfare benefits and the disproportionate and unnecessary increase in state sector employment, not to mention the two costly wars, both in funds and human life, that Labour has taken us into.
Any intelligent and self respecting person would be keeping quiet, not criticising a new government that is trying to put matters right but of course that is not the way of the Labour Party or any of the left-leaning so-called intelligentsia who have always been more adept at throwing brickbats than the Conservatives.
It is very difficult to think of one single thing that 13 years of Labour Government has actually done that has improved the lives of the majority of taxpaying people of this country.
Perhaps if they could get away from crackpot ideology, in-house squabbling and pure political motivation then maybe for once a Labour Government would not leave the country in complete and utter turmoil.
ROBERT BISHOP
Broomfield Drive, Billinghurst
HORSHAM MP Francis Maude said that he would be pleased to hear readers' views on the Con-Dem plans for the National Health Service. I wonder! In defence of what he postulated, he remarked that those with good memories will remember… etc.
I remember well. It was the Tories that brought the NHS to its knees. From 1997 onwards to the present day, record investment - with an extra 25,000 doctors and 80,000 nurses - has enabled it to be the envy of the world - except to the many Tories who think the NHS is 'a 60 year mistake'.
The so-called 'liberation of the service' is the straightest pathway to a De-National Health Service you could envisage with a post-code treatment ethos returning.
Take the GP commissioning proposals linked to budgets. In the first instance, a GP's only function is to be a doctor. It's not to be an accountant or an administrator or, indeed, a buyer or seller of medical projects.
I don't want to go to a GP surgery and be examined as a cost related item or, for that matter, look through a consultant's brochure as to whom I might be offered in the same way that one might choose a holiday from a travel agent.
Francis Maude's dislike of the PCTs and what he calls local NHS bureaucrats is well known, but we hear from his Tory bedfellow, Brad Watson, at the recent consultation meeting that West Sussex County Council should be running the local health service!
You could not envisage a more disastrous edifice - not so much because of the people working within it, but because the least effective county councillors in the UK would be in charge of health welfare.
This being the council which, on child welfare, had the same grading as Haringey and has to be constantly monitored by the Government.
Finally, a simple question that has remained unanswered by Messrs Maude, Smith and others for years. Will Horsham and Crawley hospitals have to close and be demolished before any planned new privately run hospital be completed - and what happens in the meanwhile?
RAY BATTERSBY
Amberley Road, Horsham
HAVING just read your excellent report of July 15 regarding Southern Water's proposed programme to fit 15,000 homes with meters in the Horsham area, it has made me stop and seriously consider the proposals.
For years I have struggled to come to terms with Southern Water's business strategy and logic. This latest outburst is I fear just another annual bleat for this time of year.
Purely from a personal point of view I offer the following observations:
a) Southern Water is a private water company selling water, disposing and treating of sewage and storm water.
b) It has a captive market where customers have absolutely no alternative other than using its services (nice work if you can get it.)
c) The company (whether they it likes it or not) is run by its customers and they in turn are its sales, ie demand and income.
The introduction of meters is therefore from a business point of view, totally contradictive of increasing its sales, resulting in no alternative other than to continually increase prices. Surely the way forward is to basically sell more water.
Every year in the South of England we have more than adequate rainfall and annually I look at the south coast rivers pouring trillions and trillions of gallons into the sea. Oh, what a waste!
With regard to the proposed 83.5m being wasted on meters, undoubtedly this would be better invested towards the harvesting of water, ie more reservoirs.
Two final points worth remembering are:
1) Less than three years ago Southern Water was fined 20m for overcharging its customers and misleading the regulator over its own performance.
2) Southern Water's charges for waste water disposal are over double the amount charged by Thames Water.
DEREK CASTLE
Gagglewood,
Mannings Heath
I DO NOT think that council leader Robert Nye, speaking on behalf of Horsham District Council, should have 'bad mouthed' the campaigners trying to save Horsham Town Hall (WSCT July 8).
It seemed to me to be a brain washing exercise to make anyone who stands up against them to be the villains of the piece.
Much as modern day councils would like to turn us into subservient zombies we do have a right to protect what is ours and which was given to the people of Horsham and paid for in their council tax. The same right applied between 1939 and 1945 when we felt we had a right to protect what was ours, namely our country.
I think that councils sometimes forget who pays their wages.
If Horsham District Council had been open with us in the beginning, publicising the benefits and location of the hall, not 'hiking' up the rental charges beyond any potential or existing hirers' reach, mounting a 'use it or lose it' campaign, we would not be in this situation now.
An advertised venue for wedding receptions, as it was in the same building as the registrar's office, would have been a good idea.
But no, the council kept it all rather quiet and went into negotiations with Bill's Produce and Restaurant to cut and carve this Grade II listed building about.
The majority of people I speak to have not got a clue that this is all going on.
So come on HDC, work for the people of Horsham not high status. Bill's Produce is another expensive, trendy restaurant – I know – I went down to have a look but it was beyond my budget.
I am not remotely interested in sport, so why should I have to contribute financially in my council tax towards the expensive upkeep of the Pavilions in the Park – it cuts both ways you know!
W. MORRIS
Dorking Road, Horsham
I READ the article in the County Times (July 15) regarding the possible purchase of the Jengers Mead car park in Billingshurst.
I own a business based in offices in Jengers Mead and, since the introduction of the private car parking regime, have witnessed many incidents involving the 'security' firm and its overzealous operatives.
I think it's fair to say that this arrangement has brought nothing but misery to the residents, traders and visitors of Billingshurst and the sooner this car park is brought back under council control, the better.
After all, I would have thought it was supposed to be a civic amenity.
The parking and charging scheme in operation by Horsham District Council behind Budgens and the Six Bells pub works fine.
Two hours free parking with up to five hours at a reasonable price strikes me as a good deal and prevents abuse from rail commuters parking there all day.
I also have an annual permit from HDC which costs 120 per annum. That again is a reasonable fee to provide year round parking in a small village like this.
If the same scheme is extended to Jengers Mead, I believe that will also work well and encourage visitors back to the shops in the village.
My message to Jengers Mead Car Parking LLP and the 'security' operatives at Capital2Coast parking management is good riddance.
PHIL PINDER
Jengers Mead, Billingshurst
Bike thought
'THINK Biker!' I adhere to this request, especially early on Sunday mornings when they roar down our road at speeds well in excess of the maximum. At this time of the day my thoughts are rarely complimentary or printable.
I sometimes wonder why Think Biker? Is it because they can't think for themselves?
K.C. TAYLOR
East Street, Billingshurst
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
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Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Sunny spells
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