Late Crawley councillor has not been forgotten and will have a new road named in his honour

During a borough council meeting, former Three Bridges councillor Bob Burgess asked why it was taking so long for Alan Quine, who died in 2017, aged 92, to be honoured.

Mr Quine served on the Urban District Council between 1969 and 1972 and the borough council until 1995.

He was made an Honorary Alderman and Freeman of the Borough in 2012 and was life president of Crawley Conservative Association.

Mr Burgess pointed out that both Geraint Thomas, who died in 2019, and Raj Sharma, who died in 2021, had had buildings named after them.

He also wondered why former mayor Howard Bloom, who died in February 2020, had yet to be honoured.

He said: “I understand [Alan] served with great distinction in the RAF. Is this how we treat our veterans – by promising them something and forgetting all about it?”

Leader Michael Jones stressed that nobody had been forgotten, adding that when a councillor was honoured by having their name allocated to a road or building, then it tended to be in the ward they represented.

Mr Thomas represented Northgate and then Ifield, while former mayor Mr Sharma represented Southgate.

Mr Jones said: “The opportunities for these don’t always come along every day.

“With Alan’s dedication of a road, it is in a phase of Forge Wood that has not yet gone ahead.

“It is going to go ahead quite soon.

“I really don’t want anyone to think that we’ve forgotten anyone.

“We will, when an opportunity arises for everyone as appropriate, do something if we can.”