District councillors’ decision making
Over the past few months this newspaper has been full of letters criticising Horsham District Council and its elected councillors. The dissatisfaction is aimed at the lack of real involvement with the community and, particularly, not listening to the wishes of their constituents. It is the responsibility of democratically elected district councillors to set the vision and direction of the council and to represent their local community. According to gov.uk: ‘the role offers the chance to make a huge difference to the quality of life for people in the local area’. Councillors have to balance the needs and interests of residents, the political party they may represent and the council as a whole.
As well as regulatory and statutory duties they have four key responsibilities:
Represent the ward for which they are elected Help develop and review council policy Scrutinise decisions taken by councillors on the cabinet
Participate in community leadership and engagement
The key word in all of this is ‘balance’. Councillors frequently have to make difficult decisions, and over the years there have been a number of challenging situations. To balance the needs and interests of the residents will always mean pleasing some at the expense of others. Horsham District Council came under a lot pressure with the planned closure of Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre. After much criticism, many discussions, frequent media reports and numerous
consultations the end result was The Bridge Leisure Centre, and much lauded it is. This is a good example of HDC working with residents and local organisations in creating an outstanding provision, something everyone is proud of.
The Drill Hall is another example of the council listening to its residents. Its proposed demolition is still on the cards, but a two-year period of grace has been given for alternative options to be explored. Again, this is good governance. Listening to the voices of the public and giving them the opportunity to contribute is democratic.
What then about Rookwood? As a resident of Horsham for nearly forty years, this proposed development has caused more uproar than anything I can remember. Nearly 10,000 residents have signed the petition, all wanting to keep this green lung as part of the undeveloped town. Plainly, residents want to keep Rookwood in its natural state, whereas HDC see this as an opportunity to raise a large sum of money and help meet the imposed housing targets. The statement that ‘nature is clearly at the heart of the revised plan’ is a misnomer. Although there is some focus on nature, any degree of development can only damage what is already there.
The previously announced housing targets are being revised downwards and this therefore reduces the need to include Rookwood in the Local Plan. By continuing with the development HDC will be flouting their own District Planning Framework, ignoring their own Green Space Strategy and directly countering the National Planning Policy Framework. How can they justify disregarding these policies and the voice of so many local people?