Labour councillors on West Sussex County Council welcome recently-elected Chris Mullins as one of their number. Chris will join his eight Labour colleagues in serving his constituents both in the community and as an active member of some of the 33 committees, sub-groups and task forces which comprise the council.

On average, Labour members serve on more than four of them, some as many as seven, unlike one of the Tories. Henry Smith, Tory member for Furnace Green, Maidenbower, Pound Hill South and Worth is a member of only one, the recently formed Crawley Schools' Task Force and he even missed the first meeting of that!

Is he too busy promoting his hoped-for parliamentary career to bother with the county council? Are the people of Crawley getting a fair deal from him? Does he know the way to County Hall?

-Councillor D. Mayne, On behalf of members of WSCC Labour Group