I’ll be interested to see how the new council works out. The council is a lot more evenly balanced now, and as a result the committee memberships will be more evenly balanced – to the point where Tories won’t be able to miss any meetings in case they risk being in the minority in committee meetings.
We have already seen that the cabinet has been reduced by one post, a long overdue step. I always thought that deputy leader should be a role that one of the other executives took on rather than a separate portfolio. There might be scope for further changes, but that was the obviousone. I’ve always thought that the whole idea was really a way to give Bert Crane a vote on the executive and benefit from his vast experience, without wearing him out by giving him too many responsibilities. The surprise is that the Tories didn’t change that a lot sooner, what with them not having a Bert Crane.
Apart from those larger, more structural changes, there will be the impact of some of the new faces – although some of them like Chris Mullins and Bill Ward are old faces returning after an absence. Peter Smith in Ifield will be worth watching, but I’m particularly interested in my old ward of Broadfield South.
I visited our new councillor for Broadfield South the other day, and realised something which I knew already but had not though about: he is going to bring an engineer’s perspective to the council. Colin has spent his life working on machines at work and at home. If something doesn’t work he fixes it, and if it does work he keeps it that way or makes it work even better and he will keep going until he succeeds. It will be fascinating if he takes that approach to the council.
From all those years of being married to a councillor, mayor and MP he will know a lot about the political side of things but I still think he is going to find himself wanting to get the metaphorical spanners out to some of the council’s departments when he gets onto scrutiny panels. Certainly continuous improvement should be second nature to him.
Early days yet, but I think the council meetings are going to be a bit more lively now. I might even go to a couple.
But it will be a different story in the County Council Elections next year :
Tories at County Hall Chichester are getting jittery (“Mayor ousted by own party from county seat – Keith Blake (Con, Gossops Green & Ifield East) won’t represent Tories in 2013 election, Crawley News, June 20 2012 – Page 12).
I like Keith Blake – and his wife Sally (a former Mayor). They are what I would call ‘Caring Conservatives’ – and they live in our road.
This snub to one of their own is no great surprise. West Sussex County Council’s ruling political elite in Chichester are the very opposite to ‘Caring Conservatism’.
In Crawley, the sooner we get shot of these idealogical fanatics who control the county the better – roll on Crawley & Gatwick Unitary City Council.
Karl Williamson replaces Mayor Blake – Williamson is not Blake. This young kid is very lightweight politically – so Labour have a great chance to win here in Gossops Green &
Ifield Green (Ifield East – eagh!).
Who will Labour put up to oust Williamson?
My money is on Cllr Peter Smith – who ousted the Conservative Ali Burke in Ifield, in the Crawley Borough Council (CBC) elections last May.
Alan Quirk (Con, Broadfield) is standing down as the Tory councillor for next year’s county council elections. Lee Gilroy, the freemason who lost his seat in the CBC elections, “will stand in his place”.
No more said.
Richard Symonds why do you feel it is acceptable to continually keep posting crap about me on various blogs and websites. You don’t know me, yet you keep assuming you know my character and slander me continuously. I am not a public official and I don’t have to answer to you and your crackpot ideas that I am running the world through freemasonry. You are obviously an intelligent man but are making yourself look foolish with conspiracy theories.
Don’t write about me on your crappy website or post about me on any other blog or forum or talk about me in your sleep even. I don’t want to hear or find out that you are continuing to slur my character anymore. You are upsetting my family and I will not accept it anymore.
Andrew I am sorry to add this rant to your post about the new council. I wish to the best of luck too Colin Moffatt.
I don’t know who you are “Lee”.
Is that Lee Harris, the CBC Chief Executive?
I think not.
Is that Francis Lee, the old Man City footballer?
I think not.
Is that Lee Evans, the sweaty comedian perhaps?
I think not.
“You don’t know me” – that is indeed true.
Surely it’s not that former Tory councillor, friend of Duncan Crow, and in the bricklaying business.
No, he wouldn’t be so stupid.
“Posting crap”…”slander me continuously”…”crackpot ideas”…”slur my character”.
Pots & kettles come to mind.
You do often come across as slightly insane!
Adam, to the already insane in an insane world, those who are desperately trying to hold on to their sanity will “come across” as more than “slightly insane”.
So, the County Councillors up for election next year are as follows :
Duncan Crow (Con) – recently kicked out of his job as CBC’s Deputy Leader.
Bob Lanzer (Con) – & CBC Leader
Howard Bloom (Con)
Richard Burrett (Con) – who I will be attempting to oust next year, by standing as an Independent – to work towards Unitary City status for Crawley & Gatwick.
Bob Burgess (Con)
Keith Blake (Con) who is being replaced by Karl Williamson (Con) for next year’s cc election.
Alan Quirk (Con) who is being replaced by Lee Gilroy (Con) for next year’s election.
Chris Oxlade (Lab) who is also an Ifield CBC councillor.
Brenda Smith (Lab) who was the former Labour Leader (now Peter Lamb), and is also Langley Green’s CBC councillor.
Should be an interesting election next year.
I predict the Tories Duncan Crow, Richard Burrett, Karl Williamson & Lee Gilroy will be ‘twiddling their little fingers’ in defeat, come June next year.
If that prediction turns out to be accurate, Labour will have 6 Crawley County Councillors, and the Tories 3.
Expect ‘political sparks to fly’ from now until May next year.