Is Burgess Hill Being Robbed Blind By The District Council?

Time to wake up. Burgess Hill is getting a raw deal from the District Council. Many people have looked at the facts and figures and all come to the same conclusion. We can't all be wrong... can we?

Victoria Park in Haywards Heath gets a new childrens water feature
Back in 2009 we reported how the District Council planned on giving Victoria Park a new water feature to replace their aging paddling pool. Burgess Hill District Councillor Anne Jones said Burgess Hill families deserved a water facility in St Johns Park too.



In October 2011 Sun Safe Play Systems Limited were paid £64,038.42. Add in the £45k grant money that MSDC secured and you just about get to the £112k figure the council wanted to spend on a new water feature. Nearly three years later and there's still no news on any water facility for St Johns Park.

More Outdoor Exercise Equipment for Victoria Park.
In November 2011 £9,784,80 was paid to The Great Outdoor Gym Company..



.....this was for four ADDITIONAL pieces of exercise equipment installed in Victoria Park during the Summer. There had already been a number of apparatus in place for quite a few years.
As it stands St Johns Park still has nothing. Why did Victoria Park receive additional equipment when we here in Burgess Hill have gone without?

Burgess Hill to suffer further from council's leisure budget
Local resident Chris French has dug a little deeper by reading through the District Council's corporate plan for 2011-16. It makes shocking reading. If the figures have been interpreted correctly then Burgess Hill will only be receiving 3% of the leisure budget compared to Haywards Heath's 24%
How can this be? MENTAL!!!!

Why is Burgess Hill treated like the red-headed stepchild?
Size Matters. Burgess Hill is bigger than Haywards Heath. So why would we be seeing much less money spent on leisure facilities than Haywards Heath?

If things work in a fair cycle then St Johns Park should be seeing a number of improvements but the District Council are throwing even more money at Victoria Park. Can anyone explain how this is fair?

There are 12 Burgess Hill District Councillors. 9 of which are members of the ruling Conservative Party. Now do we think that the Burgess Hill councillors have simply not spotted the disproportionate spending or are they being ignored due to a very BIASED cabinet?

Look at the make-up of the District Council Cabinet...
Leader: Gary Wall - Haywards Heath,
Head of Finance: Jonathan Ash-Edwards - Haywards Heath
Economic Development: John de Mierre - Haywards Heath
Planning and Regeneration: Gary Marsh - Balcombe (close to Haywards Heath)
Health and Community: Christopher Snowling - Lindfield (Right next to Haywards Heath)
Leisure and Sustainability: Pru Moore - Burgess Hill

Rather Haywards Heath dominated isn't it.

What can we do?:
Now is the time to start putting pressure on our local district councillors. We need a better deal for Burgess Hill. We should not be subsidising Haywards Heath via our council tax.

Here's a list of the Burgess Hill District Councillors and their contact details.

If that fails then the next step it to take a group of people to one of the full council meetings at the District Council chamber and demand some answers in the flesh. Put them on the spot. They cannot possibly justify what they are doing to us.


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Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
What do you think to the disproportionate spending? Could the District Council Cabinet really be as biased as the facts and figures seem? Why do the Burgess Hill District Councillors never communicate with us? We elect them to represent and serve us. Give us answers!