I wish more people had seen the shenanigans at last week’s Full Council meeting of Crawley Borough Council, in order to see the attitudes and behaviours displayed by several Labour councillors.  While the live broadcast failed again, the recording was uploaded the next day onto Crawley Borough Council’s YouTube channel.  It’s there for everyone to see, if anyone doubts the accuracy of what I’m about to say.

In good faith, I had tabled a motion about the supply and affordability of social housing.  My motion was non-political, didn’t criticise anyone, and was seeking to work together cross-party, to address the challenges affecting the supply of social housing that Crawley has, as well as seeking to learn from other local authorities who have found ways to charge lower rents than what Crawley does for new social housing.

Disappointingly, not only did the Council’s Labour leader amend my motion politically, so that it praised Labour and attacked the Conservatives, he, along with other Labour councillors, turned the whole debate into political attacks, rather than focusing on the important issue before us.  Shockingly, the Grenfell Tower tragedy was used by them as a tool to attack me and my colleagues, for tabling our motion.

For Councillor Question Time, we then saw a cynical exercise from Labour councillors in prepared planted questions, and then very long printed speeches being read out as if they were answers, all designed to count down the clock and avoid questions from Conservative councillors.  We could see why they wanted to avoid questions as when I asked my question, the Labour Committee chair actually said “I wasn’t expecting that” and then she made an embarrassing mess of trying to give any kind of coherent answer.

It is clear in Crawley that Labour councillors prefer playing politics to getting things done, and don’t like scrutiny or having any constructive opposition challenge. Our council would be better run if they shifted their focus to improving themselves, rather than avoiding scrutiny and seeking to discredit any opposition, especially local Conservative opposition that genuinely wants to help improve our town for Crawley residents.      

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

3rd April 2024