New Year is a time for looking forward. Many will know what will make their lives happier in the coming year: a forthcoming family event, a new job, a family holiday.
Against these, national events seem mundane: they will though, in time, matter to us all.
For many local residents the top of the “wish list” is obvious: a reliable train service. It is simply not acceptable for commuters to be delayed, often for hours, day after day. Before Christmas I asked for a meeting with Network Rail, the Train Operators and the Rail Minister. The Minister has arranged this for mid January when, with neighbouring MPs, I will be demanding answers. It is particularly disappointing that after some months of improvement we are back at square one.
The dire service has highlighted yet again the limited and unreliable transport links between Gatwick and London. An announcement on airport expansion was postponed in 2015 while poor air quality arising from vehicle movements near airports was investigated further. The answer though cannot be to make Gatwick with the more limited public transport links take more passengers (and commuting employees) than the airport with four main rail links. The answer to air quality almost certainly is tougher (and better enforced) engine emission rules. The Government should make their views known on airport expansion in summer 2016. The Davies Report’s clear and unanimous recommendation was of course for expansion at Heathrow.
In the meantime Gatwick’s independent assessment on how to reduce noise from arriving aircraft will be published in January. By the end of the year the Departures’ assessment should also be underway. Gatwick will be judged on its actions.
Early in the year we can also expect the consultation on a new formula for school funding. I am delighted this reform has been announced but I am still expecting a tough fight to come. The timing of implementation will also be controversial – the longer the “phase in” the more necessary it will be for greater interim funding for local schools.
Horsham residents will not just be focused on local concerns and issues such as the dreadful recent flooding in the UK but concerns further afield. We had good news from Iraq this week where ISIS is being pushed back and many are returning home. Despite some progress in peace talks no one, sadly, expects Syria to be resolved soon. We in the UK, as elsewhere across the West, will have to remain vigilant against the extremists that plotted devastating attacks on us in 2015 and won’t stop now. We will continue to support the humanitarian relief effort, we will be providing more refugees with shelter in the UK and will be confronting directly Daesh. We cannot expect that the next 12 months will see the end of desperate situation in Syria but we will do all we can to encourage those who are willing to talk about a peaceful future, to do just that.
I wish you all a Happy New Year.