Anatole Kaletsky writes in The Times:

The Tories have chosen this moment to self-destruct, leaving no plausible alternative to Labour, and nobody, apart from the redoubtable Vince Cable, to challenge Mr Brown’s delusions of grandeur - or potential economic misjudgments.

Talleyrand’s famous remark about the House of Bourbon - that they had “learnt nothing and forgotten nothing” - seems to apply with equal force to David Cameron’s Conservatives after their repeated decapitations since 1992.

Last week George Osborne showed that he had learnt nothing, by foolishly identifying the recent weakness of sterling with the alleged weakness of the British economy and the Government’s fiscal policy. In fact, the pound’s decline is not a problem but a solution. It follows naturally from the Bank of England’s aggressive rate cuts and the monetary freedom that Britain retained by staying out of the euro. This precious freedom is now reflected in the highly competitive exchange rate and ultra-low interest rates that will help to lay the foundations for recovery, just as they did in 1994-95 and 1983-84.

This week, Mr Cameron showed that he had forgotten nothing by suddenly reverting to the policies of John Major - not just the “strong sterling” totem, but the whole package, complete with empty promises of fiscal restraint, warnings about a “Labour tax bombshell” and contempt for Keynesian economics. These were policies that Mr Cameron used to advocate when he worked for Norman Lamont. The leader of the Tory “modernisers” was supposed to have forgotten all this nonsense when he left the side of the former Chancellor on Black Wednesday, but he has now reverted to type…

Unfortunately for the Tories, their policies are thoroughly bad economics.

This open meeting is scheduled to go ahead on Friday 28 November from 1.00 to 2.30 at the Steyning Centre (Committee Rooms 1-2).

The panel will be:

Jackie Campbell, Chairman of Steyning Parish Council  – chairing the meeting
George Cockman & Len Warner, Horsham District Councillors
Derek Deedman, West Sussex County Councillor
Nick Herbert MP for Arundel & South Downs

It will be a non party political meeting and local residents will be invited to raise any issues that may be concerning them. Please encourage anyone who may be interested to come along.

The local Police have asked me to make people aware that there has been an incident on Steyning High Street, where a female driver was in static traffic and while waiting for traffic to move, a male tried to get into the vehicle by trying the door handles. Luckily the vehicles doors were locked and he could not get in.

This incident highlights that locking your car doors whilst driving increases personal safety, as drivers can be in vulnerable situation when in static traffic, at junctions and traffic lights. This is an isolated incident in our area, but it reminds people that we do not know who’s around, and you will be much safer by locking your car doors when driving.

Following pressure from Steyning Parish Council and me, the County Council has confirmed that its £5000 contribution towards the annual cost of running the Neighbourhood Wardens in Bramber, Steyning & Upper Beeding and in Ashington will be made available to the Parish Councils via the Horsham Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership for 2009/10.

The County Cabinet Member concerned has, however, made it clear that after that date Horsham District and the Parish Councils involved must ensure that the Neighbourhood Warden Schemes are permanently financed from local funds, as elsewhere in the County.

The Bramber, Steyning & Upper Beeding Neighbourhood Wardens provide a tremendous service to local people, both old and young and I am certain that the majority of residents will wish to see it continue after 2010.

Subsidised bus services that operate under contract to the County Council in the Horsham District area are to be re-tendered during the winter 2008/9. The 1985 Transport Act requires that contracted bus services are re-tendered at least every five years, and the new contracts will run from the end of March 2009.

It is expected that the timetables on these services though my Division will for the most part remain the same as at present. Unfortunately the Tories are unlikely to make any additional County Council finance available to allow significant improvements to be made to any services.

The services which might be used by people from my area to be re-tendered are listed below:
Service 17 (Sundays) Horsham - Cowfold - Brighton: Two hourly operated by Compass Travel
Service 23 (Sundays) Horsham - Ashington - Worthing: Two hourly operated by Compass Travel
Service 100 Pulborough - Storrington - Steyning - Burgess Hill: Hourly operated by Compass Travel
Service 101 Horsham - Billingshurst - Pulborough: Hourly operated by Compass Travel
Services 108/109: Lancing - Steyning - Horsham: Shopping services operated by Compass Travel

The main concern about the present 100 timetable is that it runs at almost the same time as the 2A between Upper Beeding and Steyning. Clearly this is of no value to those residents who wish to just travel between the two. In addition, since the present 100 arrives in Upper Beeding from Small Dole just after the 2A has left for Shoreham, and in Upper Beeding going to Small Dole just before the 2A arrives in Upper Beeding from Shoreham, it is most unlikely that Small Dole residents will use the 100/2A as a way of going to/from Shoreham as they have to wait for nearly an hour before the next connection. I will be making these two points to the Public Transport Section reviewing these services, so that hopefully they can be addressed in the new contract.

If you have other comments or suggestions to make about any of these services please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be grateful if any comments you wish to make could be with me by early December

The current location of the Register Office for the District at the Horsham Old Town Hall has been less than ideal, not least because of the very poor access arrangements and there had been a proposal to move the facility to Park House in Horsham. However there is now a much cheaper option as the County Council has purchased the former Insurance Office building ‘Parkside’ which it is now renovating to become ‘County Hall North’ to re-house the County Offices in the area in one building.

Despite this option, instead of relocating the Register Office to the new ‘County Hall North’, which already provides impressive accommodation, including the banqueting suite, which may be made available for wedding receptions by a future restaurant franchisee, the Tories are sticking to their original plans to move the Office to Park House!

Lib Dem Morwen Millson, Leader of the Opposition on the County Council, has asked the Tory Cabinet Member making the decision how much will be paid to Horsham District Council for the accommodation at Park House, and what arrangements will be made for reserving parking for weddings. She pointed out that the adjacent District Council car park is a public pay and display car park.

The County Council has a modern Registrar’s Office at Centenary House Worthing for the Worthing area, why not a similar Office in Horsham? And, since ‘County Hall North’ is just a short step away from Park House the excellent planted and maintained gardens there could still be used for post wedding ceremony photographs.  

It will be a disgrace if the Tories press ahead with renting office facilities at Park House instead of using the excellent facilities which will be available at ‘County Hall North’ - at a time of considerable financial pressure on the County Council budget and Council Tax every opportunity should be taken to save money, not waste it!

Upper Beeding Parish Council having agreed last week to recommend the Chanctonbury County Local Committee to use of some of the planning development contributions related to transport towards the cost of upgrading the existing Footpath Right of Way to a bridleway for the above cycleway, I learned today (11th) that the landowner of the Footpath route from its junction with the Downs Link to its junction with New Hall Lane would object to such a proposal.

Since it would appear that there is no alternative route which meets the health, safety and security concerns of landowners, it looks as though, unless local people have any other ideas, the scheme is dead. Although there is the fallback of an on-road footway this would be much less safe and considerably more expensive, which would probably defer any such scheme for very many years.

I am very sorry about this as many people have taken the trouble to express their support for such a cycle route which would enable the development of bridleways either side of the Downs Link, towards building a network of cycle and equestrian routes between the small towns and villages of the Adur Valley.

I thank all those local people for their support for this idea.

Concern quite rightly continues to be raised about the anti-social driving activities of the few who drive along the pavement with no regard for the safety of pedestrians, children in particular, walking along the Shooting Field spur road entrance to Steyning Primary and Grammar Schools.

These drivers can be reported to Operation Crackdown (anti-social driving). This can be done on their website (or via the link on this site). If people report the anti-social drivers action every time, after 3 complaints about the same driver the Police will issue a warning and if such behaviour continues the vehicle can be seized.

It is possible that local people will raise their concerns with the Press, although both the Parish Council and I are urging action by the County Council to prevent this anti-social driving. The County is currently insisting on action by both the Grammar School and Primary School on Travel Plans and on reduced parking permits for the Grammar School before installing bollards or taking other preventative measures.

I am continuing to put pressure on the Travel Plan/Safe routes to school team to resolve this dangerous situation, whilst the Primary School has set up a Travel Plan Group of Governors to prepare a Travel Plan, and the Grammar School is reviewing the layout of their car park to enable more people to park on site.

Steyning Parish Council meets tomorrow (Monday, 10th), 7.30pm at the Steyning Centre. The meeting is open to the public and they can ask questions of the Parish, District and County Councillors present at the meeting.

Woodmancote Parish Council meets on Tuesday, 11th, at 8pm at the Parish Hall, Brighton Road. The meeting is open to the public and District and County Councillors will be present.

Public meetings to discuss this proposal are being held this month.

Locally there will be a meeting at Worthing Hospital on Tuesday, 11 November from 6 to 7.30pm in the Board room, Washington Suite, and at Southlands Hospital on Monday, 24 November from 6 to 7.30pm in the Lecture Theatre.

Further information, including an information leaflet is available on the Worthing & Southlands NHS Trust website. (See link under Health Services.)