West Sussex Liberal Democrats express anger at Conservative budget that shortchanges road maintenance, essential drainage works and children’s mental health.

Liberal Democrat councillors at West Sussex County Council have slammed the Conservative-led administration at the council after its 2024/5 budget was passed in Chichester on Friday with pothole repairs and drainage shortchanged, climate change deprioritised, and the growing mental health crisis in children ignored.

The Conservative plan provides less money for pothole repairs than would have been invested under the Liberal Democrat plan¹. It also cuts funding for a key drainage scheme, Operation Watershed², at a time when localised flooding is an increasing problem across West Sussex, and it removes action on climate change from the council’s priorities³.  In contrast, the Liberal Democrat proposal addressed these issues and directed more resources into footpaths, active travel and buses⁴. Liberal Democrats also demanded increased support for children’s mental health and wellbeing⁵ which has spiralled into crisis following the COVID pandemic

Speaking after the county council meeting on Friday, Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Kirsty Lord (Hassocks and Burgess Hill South) said

“Once again, the Conservatives are content to pay lip service to West Sussex residents’ concerns but then refuse to go the extra mile in funding them properly. And on both local drainage schemes and climate change, they have even quietly reduced their commitment.

“Liberal Democrats are out on the doorsteps every week listening to residents and we know that potholes and flooding are raised by almost everybody. We proposed both more money for road maintenance than the Conservatives, and increased capacity and funding for drainage improvements in stark contrast to the Conservative cuts to Operation Watershed. 

“It was only thanks to the Liberal Democrats that action on climate change was even included in the council plan in 2021, but the Conservatives have now voted to drop all mention of it from their priorities.”

“Meanwhile the Conservatives are also ignoring the growth in the mental health crisis in our children whereas we have found money to increase much needed support. The Liberal Democrat proposals are both resident-focused and financially sound being funded entirely by back office savings and additional income⁶.” 

Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Sussex) added:

“The Conservatives have starved local government of much needed funding for too long and are ignoring the realities of climate change. The results are plain to see across our county: crumbling roads and flash flooding in every downpour. What’s worse, the Conservative administration at West Sussex County Council is unwilling to take the steps needed to fix these problems.

“The Conservatives have quietly removed any mention of action on climate change from their priorities. This makes a real difference to the lives of people in West Sussex as we see extreme weather events happen more often as a result of our changing climate. Flash flooding is on the rise. At a time when there is an urgent need for more money to improve roads and road drainage, only the Liberal Democrats are offering a proper plan. 

“The only way forward for West Sussex now is to vote for change. Change in 2024 at the general election and change in West Sussex in 2025 at the county elections. Change is possible with the Liberal Democrats”

Notes

1. Conservatives proposed £4m for highways repairs whereas the Liberal Democrat proposal was for £4.3m for highways repairs, a 7.5% higher spend
2. Conservatives cut Operation Watershed from £600,000 to £400,000 per year. The Liberal Democrat plan would reinstate Operation Watershed funding to £600,000 per year and provide an additional officer to work with parishes and residents on schemes to access this funding. In addition the Liberal Democrat plan would increase the capacity for designing new large highways drainage schemes across the county
3. The Conservatives changed action on climate change as the overarching theme of the budget and replaced it with protecting the environment, which is much narrower in scope. The Liberal Democrats asked the Conservatives to consider reinstating action on climate change but the Conservatives turned this down
4. Liberal Democrat proposals would also see money spent on much needed officer resources in the rights of way, active travel and bus and community transport teams helping the council increase its capacity to access government funding for these schemes
5. Liberal Democrat proposals would increase capacity in the team working on children’s mental health by nearly 30% and provided for 2 officers to work with the most vulnerable children in the county who are at risk of drug and sexual exploitation
6. Liberal Democrat proposals were funded by changes to assumptions on vacancy rates, increased fees to businesses using services such as highways and planning and exploring and growing new income streams.