Conservatives launch campaign to retain control of Horsham District Council

The party says the present district council, under Conservative control, has successfully lobbied Government to reduce the number of houses allocated to the area. As a result the new Local Plan 2023 ‘will produce even fewer sites’.

Also planned are new ‘Protected Green Zones’ within the district, including Rookwood, Chesworth Farm and Horsham Park, where development ‘will never take place’ under Conservative control.

Further zones will soon be added to the list across the district, including every village and market town common land, as well as new nominated countryside sites. This promise is part of the Conservative partnership with Sussex Wildlife Trust to create the Wilder Horsham District.

This partnership has helped create the Weald to Waves initiative, which the Conservatives, on behalf of the Council, recently pledged support in a Cabinet signing at Wakehurst Place, inspiring other councillors to do the same.

The Conservatives said high on their list of other achievements is the ongoing delivery of the lowest council tax in Sussex and ringfencing £1.5 million to help the most vulnerable residents in the District over the coming year as a result of the Cost of Living crisis.

Together with saving money, Conservatives also increased recycling rates to become the highest across Sussex, making Horsham waste and recycling an ‘outstanding service’ and now they are aiming to be the best in England.

Local Conservatives introduced the Neighbourhood Warden scheme to protect communities from any increase in crime or anti-social behaviour across the district and also created a new Housing Company to specifically build affordable social housing to reduce the numbers on the social housing register.

The Conservatives say if returned to power they would increase the social housing numbers even further. The new manifesto also promises to continue Horsham’s position as ‘The Best Place to Live’ as nominated by Rightmove and one of the Top Three Business Towns (Dell). They also pledge to continue to hold Horsham’s Green Flag position for Horsham Park. They also point to Horsham’s carbon saving of more than 1,300 tonnes of carbon emissions as proof of the Conservative drive to achieve Government targets of net zero across council properties by 2030.

A spokesman added: “The Conservative manifesto of 2019 promised these improvements to residents, and all have been achieved. The new manifesto promises to continue this work and make Horsham an even better place to live in the future. Local Conservatives share the district’s vision to create an environment where we can all live in safety, in prosperity, and to be a place for our children to inherit with pride.”