LETTER: Concern over 999 response times

It is with concern that I read David Hide’s letter (WSCT 04/09/14) ‘Labour opposed to fire service cuts’ about West Sussex County Council’s plans to reduce the fire service budget by £1.6m. I have enormous admiration for the men and women who staff our fire services – and hope your readers will follow David Hide’s suggestion and write to their county councillor seeking a complete re-think.

The deputy cabinet member at the county council for Fire and Rescue Services is none other than county councillor Jim Rae (Roffey) who also is a Horsham District Councillor (Holbrook East). Residents should note that Mr Rae is up for election in Holbrook East in May 2015.

With the cuts in Horsham and Crawley affecting the number of response vehicles and crews and the re-siting of the Horsham station to the West of Horsham – it again raises serious issues about the inadequacy of the existing and planned transport infrastructure to cope with the increased demands on police, ambulance and fire services in North-West Sussex along and adjacent to the A24/A264 corridor.

Horsham District Council is not responsible for these services but it is responsible for the-hair brained scheme (driven on the district council by Cllrs Dawe, Croft, Vickers and Rae with his two jobs) to dump as much housing in the North part of the District - massively increasing potential traffic congestion along the A24/A264 corridor and making it far more difficult for crews to answer emergency calls in the shortest possible time.

Valerie Wise

Owlscastle Close, Horsham