A major plan to change the future look and layout of the town centre is to go out for public consultation in the new year (2006). Lib Dem campaigner Serena Tierney called a public meeting to give local people the chance to say what's important to them. The council will now consult more widely on proposals which could affect many aspects of the way the town looks and feels.
Serena Tierney has campaigned ever since it was first suggested that this unit might be closed or downgraded. Lib Dems believe that Mid Sussex needs a fully functional A & E unit at the PRH, not a low-grade injuries only unit. To be fair, before the election, the Tories were saying the same. Yet look at what they are saying now: "Why I agree PRH surgery switch was the right move". What sort of behaviour is this? One thing before the election, and then change of heart immediately after, when the electorate cannot sling him out. This is just the sort of behaviour that gets all politicians a bad name - and we deplore it. If he had any moral courage, he would resign for such a basic change of heart on an issue that was central to the election in Mid Sussex.
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust failed to secure any points in the recent table published about hospitals - a really worrying situation for those of us who rely on their services. There is clearly a huge amount to be done in terms of both service provision and service improvement - we say that downgrading the A&E dept at the Princess Royal is not a good way to start.
Janice Henwood, member of the Fair Trade Steering Group writes: "You may be aware of the attempt to attain Fair Trade Fair Trade status for Burgess Hill. Serena Tierney and the Lib Dems fully support this initiative." See http://www.fairtradeburgesshill.ik.com - this is the local campaign website
When the 'black bag' system of waste collection was introduced by the District Council, Liberal Democrats opposed it as wasteful, inefficient and unhygienic. The government has set far higher recycling targets than we are currently achieving and the black bag route is not the way to reach them. The District Council has now accepted Lib Dem argument that if we are to improve our recycling levels we must look, not just for cost savings, but at totally restructuring our waste collection system.
Liberal Democrats on West Sussex County Council are calling for a long-term answer to the issue of water shortage - before any commitments to even considering additional housing are made. "Water usage per person has doubled in the last 25 years. People's lifestyles have changed and the government and local planning bodies like SEERA need to recognise that fact. We cannot continue to build more and more homes without addressing the water supply issue properly" says Sue Knight, Liberal Democrat member of the County Council.
