LETTER: Government for the people

Well we know that the ruling group (Tories) would continue with a Cabinet and a party whip, which does not offer the kind of open democracy that we believe in. But we can change that (to a committee based system) by working with others, who are also against the Cabinet/Whip system.

We want to stop indiscriminate development and overloading of infrastructure and will fight at every level, to put the council back in charge of planning. We will also maximise the incentive for developers to own and develop, brown field land.

Because HDC has only realised around £500,000 of the expected BTP £1.250,000 pa savings - and more government funding reductions are to come - there are serious financial challenges ahead. So UKIP will drive hard for services to be shared between councils in West Sussex, in liaison with our county council colleagues, moving towards a single unitary authority.

To counter reduced accessibility to NHS services, we will seek to improve the offering of Horsham Hospital (eg to include beds) reducing the need for some patients to travel further afield, eg to East Surrey hospital. We will also lobby against attempts to over centralise doctors’ surgeries.

We oppose a second runway at Gatwick, since we already have an international hub at Heathrow, which has multiple transport options and is nearer to the Centre of Gravity of England. On the other hand transport links with Gatwick are already at near capacity and the infrastructure funding offered by the LGW developer, would be totally inadequate.

If the new runway proposal is driven through against the wishes of residents, then we would lobby strongly for a new local Major General Hospital, to improve accessibility and ambulance response times.

We intend to see that local businesses are not unfairly discriminated against, when they tender for council contracts and to see that red tape is reduced. We will also seek to ensure that planning permissions are not delayed needlessly, in a way that hamstrings business.

We will oppose any further reduction in the numbers of policemen. Indeed we would rather see the money currently spent on Police and Crime Commissioners, put to better use.

We shall oppose fracking near to residential areas and to the sources of drinking water. The potential impacts of fracking, on the pollution of aquifers, on traffic and minor earthquakes must be fully understood, providing confidence that the risks can be managed. The process must not be fast tracked against the concerns of residents.

We will pursue the most cost effective ways of reducing CO2 emissions and will not accept arbitrary renewable energy targets, without understanding their wider costs. Too many energy intensive companies have been driven abroad by high electricity costs, only to emit more CO2 than before, while fuel poverty has increased at home.

It is our ambition to end the recent chapter of history in which residents’ aspirations have been ignored or overridden, with decision-making processes hidden from the public eye.

We want to see a return to open and transparent democracy, with government for the people.

NEIL WHITEAR

Chairman, UKIP Horsham Branch, Timber Mill, Southwater