I am concerned that Clarion Housing Association is once again in the news for the wrong reasons, a cyber-attack wiped out some of its IT systems, in particular the direct debit payments for rent payments seem to have been stopped for many tenants, leaving them unclear how to pay their rent. The incident happened on 17th June, but tenants have been left in the dark until recently about what was going on, phone enquiries are only taken for emergency repairs although an online chat facility is now available to take other repairs and payment enquires.

Clarion is the biggest housing association in the country, too big many would say, it manages 125,000 homes and effectively operates using public money without proper representation from its tenants or local communities, given the way such housing association Boards are appointed. It’s the latest incident to affect the housing association, which is already facing an investigation from the Housing Ombudsman after the regulator found severe failings with the recent finding of significant maladministration of leaks, damp and pest infestations, as well as its complaint handling.

This is not in the least unexpected given the problems I have seen locally, Clarion is too big and too remote from the areas it serves. The Housing Minister has been urged to remove and replace the Clarion board with competent Board members by the Social Housing Action Campaign, and I would support this, it needs to engage with tenants and residents over the long-term future of the organisation with a view to breaking up an organisation that has grown far to big.

A local resident raised a concern that the gate leading to the playing field off Stonefield Way had been left unsecured as pictured but I was pleased the District Council responded the same day when I raised the issue, to secure the height barrier and apply a new mechanism so it has now been locked. If you have an issue to raise about local parks and other recreational facilities do contact me or email the council directly at parksopenspaces@midsussex.gov.uk.

The Urban Beach is back, now open 10am-4pm every day until September 11th outside the Town Council Helppoint, bring your own bucket and spade! At the Councillor’s Surgery on Saturday we fielded questions on public transport, schools, and local events. Councillor surgeries take a break in August, and return in September on every second and fourth Saturday of the month.

The chaotic resignation of Boris Johnson and last-minute conversion of Mid Sussex MP Mims Davies to uphold a level of integrity in politics underlines the failure of the Conservative Party to address the rot within it.  Johnson’s character was known when he first elected as leader, with multiple allegations of impropriety and lying well known.  Yet MPs like Mims Davies enthusiastically back him even in the face of the Covid Party scandals when her response to the Sue Gray Report was to blame the situation on the “appalling and inexcusable drunken behaviour by officials and advisors” ignoring the real issue which was the disregard for the rules at the top.

Johnson promised to “get Brexit done” – yet Brexit is deeply unpopular, now only supported by 35% of the electorate, it divides the Union and the agreement he claimed was “oven baked” has become such a liability he wanted to tear it up, breaking international law just as easily as he has broken domestic law.  There is no Brexit bonus, Conservative promises of lower taxes and better public services have all been delivered in reverse and high inflation is threatening all our living standards.

Yet the Conservative candidates to replace Johnson all have unappealing platforms, focusing more on giving away unfunded tax cuts to the better off and big business, and competing for even harder versions of Brexit that involve breaking international law and withdrawing Britain from other international institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, which would threaten our civil liberties.  

We are facing massive challenges right now – the cost of living, the unsustainable pressures on the NHS and social care, the housing crisis and climate change. We really need our politicians to get serious about addressing these, but it seems none of the Conservative candidates for their leadership seem to have any coherent plan to tackle these problems.

Just caught up with this documentary from 2021 (available on Netflix) which highlights some of the truths about the environmental destruction to our oceans caused by human behavior. The film exposes the harm that humans inflict upon the seas and life within it, from plastics and fishing gear polluting the waters, to the destruction of seabed by bottom trawling, the huge numbers of marine animals caught as by-catch, the effects of illegal fishing and other harmful fishing practices, humanity is wreaking havoc on marine life and, by extension, the whole planet. The film challenges the notion of sustainable fishing, and highlights the impact of over fishing and exploitative practices on the world’s seas, and how this effects us all. Effectively another reason to make our diets more vegetarian.

Liberal Democrats have been out talking to residents on the doorstep in Mid Sussex talking about the cost of living crisis. It was clear that many people are finding it harder to make ends meet. One person told us that they are changing, “to a more cost-effective menu but it is not as healthy.” Another that they are “not able to afford to take the children out.” Others said that, “our family income does not go as far”. Another person said that their, “wellbeing (was) affected – mental health stress”.

Such comments highlight the growing pressures ordinary working families are under.Increased prices, particularly for food are a worry for us all, and earlier this month the Conservative government’s own advisor on food issues condemned the newly announced national food strategy, saying it means more children will go hungry. His own proposals which included expanding free school meals, and greater environmental and welfare standards in farming, and promoting reduced meat and dairy consumption were all side-lined.

Indeed, the headline from the strategy says it all when one of the most significant aspects is to make it easier for deer stalkers to sell wild venison!Promises to retain high EU standards for food production have been jettisoned and there is no clear strategy for food security when we can no longer rely on imports from other European countries if we are outside the single market.

At the same time, we are seeing support for British farmers reduced, and funding for free school meals has increased by less than 5% in eight years.Liberal Democrats want to see a food strategy that makes it a government responsibility to ensure everyone has a right to safe, nutritious, and sustainable food. We should be supporting our farmers, not undercutting them by allowing unsafe and low quality food imports.

We should be tackling the problems caused by Brexit by developing closer links with our European neighbours who we rely on for a quarter of our food.Locally the Liberal Democrat run Town Council has provided support to the Burgess Hill Food Bank, and local Lib Dems set up and accommodated the Burgess Hill Pantry which helps residents struggling on low incomes to stretch their household budgets further. (For a weekly membership of £4, members of the Pantry can choose a selection of food worth around £20).

Burgess Hill Town Council has also supported small traders such as the plastic free shop, Scrapless, and the Repair Café which repairs small electrical items, clothing and textiles, and some other household items for a donation.We’ll continue working to find ways to support Mid Sussex residents at this difficult time.

Mid Sussex MP Mims Davies has difficulty confirming her support for Boris Johnson, asked five times before she grudgingly admits her support. The resignation of the government’s ethics advisor is not just one issue but a series of incidents where Johnston has lied and misrepresented. Boris Johnson has clearly breached the ministerial code, yet with Conservative MP’s like Mims Davies he is unlikely to face any consequences – at least until the next election. However with Alison Bennett as the Liberal Democrat’s prospective parliamentary candidate we have a real chance in Mid Sussex to show the Conservatives the door.

These low hanging branches were blocking a footpath between Maple Close and Valebridge Road, West Sussex County Council has a responsibility to ensure rights of way such as this are kept accessible. To check if a footpath is a right of way see the map provided by the County Council. However in this instance it was simpler to DIY.

The Conservatives on Mid Sussex District Council may finally be waking up to the fact that New River Retail are in no hurry to deliver the much promised redevelopment of the town centre, at Monday’s Cabinet meeting they agreed to spend £99k on an “urban park” to provide a temporary public space on the site of the Martlets Hall. Yet the Martlets Hall itself was demolished by the District Council to supposedly facilitate the redevelopment of the wider site by New River Retail. The District Council also supported the move out of the town centre by Lidl to make way for the redevelopment. Yet years later both moves have had a negative impact on the town centre with no prospect of the promised redevelopment. A temporary urban park is welcome if done properly to make that area of town more attractive, but is not the answer to improving the town centre, and is likely to be in place much longer than the suggested six to twelve months.

Burgess Hill Town Council had in any case previously submitted a proposal to provide some facilities on the same site for less than half that cost, and these would already be in place if the Conservatives had accepted the proposals that were submitted to it last year. However, the real issue is the lack of progress on the redevelopment, the District Council as landowner has not sufficiently asserted it authority to get the redevelopment done. That will take a lot more than funding a temporary urban park to sort out if the District Council is serious about supporting the town centre.

Mims Davies in her response to the Sue Gray Report seems to blame the situation of COVID rule breaking in 10 Downing Street on “appalling and inexcusable drunken behaviour by officials and advisors” seemingly sidestepping the responsibility by politicians and the Prime Minister, despite the report including nine photos of Boris Johnson breaking lockdown rules at No 10 Downing Street, and Sue Gray herself highlighting that “the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official must bear responsibility for this culture.” Davies however seems to be fundamentally backing Johnson regardless.

When questioned in Parliament on whether a party had taken place on one of the occasions where he was photographed, Johnson said, “No but I’m sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed, and the rules were followed at all times.”  This did not stop the police fining him for attending one of these events, and fining others for attending other events at which he was photographed, as well as allegations that he lied to parliament currently being investigated by the House of Commons Privileges Committee given guidance at the time had clearly not been followed.

Yet rather than tighten up the rules governing how ministers behave, Johnson has announced plans to overhaul the way the ministerial code is policed, which includes allowing ministers to escape resignation for “minor infractions” as well as preventing any power of the ethical watchdog, the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests to launch his own investigations without the prime minister’s permission.  All this smacks of a continued view from the Prime Minister and Conservative government ministers that normal rules don’t apply to them, or actively changing the rules to favour themselves, Mims Davies as a minister sitting alongside Boris Johnson does nothing to assuage this view.