Conservative candidate Jeannette Towey, standing for election to East Sussex County Council in Crowborough North and Jarvis Brook, backs Crowbrough Says No.
At the end of last October the residents of our lovely town discovered the Home Office would move 540 asylum seekers into Crowborough Training camp, evicting the 6,000 or so cadets and reserves that were used it each year.
Like almost everyone else, Jeannete was shocked and appalled by this announcement and immediately contacted Nus Ghani MP.
‘I could see the implications of this,’ Jeannette said. ‘These would be undocumented males, mostly between 18 and 30 and from cultures where women and children are treated very differently from here.
"They would be free to roam our streets without impediment. With so many schools in the town this would be a massive safeguarding risk. In addition, there are huge environmental concerns, with potential damage to nesting sites and dark skies, and the inevitable increase in nitrogen deposition.’
Since then the local community has mobilized. There are marches every Sunday and Crowborough Shield has raised the enormous amount of money needed to launch a Judicial Review.
Jeannette has been proud to be a part of this, helping organize some of the marches, and attending meetings with ministers in the House of Commons along with representatives from Crowborough Shield.
She says, ‘I feel so proud of my town. The way we have pulled together is unbelievable. The Home of Office picked on the wrong place and they should know, Crowborough Says No!’
