Horsham Labour Party member, Ray Battersby, wrote this letter to the West Sussex County Times, which was printed in today's paper.Oh Dear! Your Comment (August 7) which concluded that democracy is alive and well in Horsham and that Francis Maude is the prime force for this situation beggars belief and denies historical fact.
Just because he makes two statements on house-building and Gatwick Airport, Horsham becomes a beacon of democracy. This does not reflect the actual situation or his past record.
Because of the appalling neglect of building affordable housing over generations by the Tory administrations - both at county and local level - there is a current ongoing incurable housing problem.
Over 30 years ago, in my election address, I wrote that Horsham's people were being let down by the Tory administration and, as such, a lack of housing would cause difficulties for generations to come.
Fast-forward to today and, as I predicted, that precise situation prevails.
This is absolutely where national government needs to intervene to resolve the problem. You only have to see how the current district council buckled shamefully under pressure from a developer to know that the housing problems for many local people will remain - and deepen, particularly if a Conservative government is resurrected.
The second pearl of wisdom from Mr. Maude is that the Conservatives are against a second runway at Gatwick. It reminds me of the hours upon hours taxi-ing out to the one runway and similar times circling the South East of England - waiting to land.
The ongoing costs for such a situation is incalculable, not should we ignore the immense economic benefits for the people of West Sussex should a second runway be built.
Most remarkably, however, is Mr. Maude's complaint about top-down central government diktat - from the man who actually personally signed the Single European Act on behalf of the UK - this is pure hypocrisy.
The Act generated a further 300 proposals from Brussels; many of which left UK traders with onerous bureaucratic procedures.
It is a known fact that the editorial office of WSCT brokers little criticism of Francis Maude and his sidekick Henry Smith. But what you should not do is to insult independently-minded people of Horsham by postulating that whatever Mr. Maude and his ilk do demonstrates that democracy is alive and well in Horsham or fail to print views different from your own.
More fundamentally and depressing is the ongoing lack of affordable housing and possible reduced job opportunities at Gatwick for Horsham people.
These issues are far more substantial and challenge your perceived view of local democracy and its well-being.
Ray Battersby
Horsham