Editing Crawley (section)

== Governance ==
=== Local government ===
{{main|Crawley Borough Council}}
{{see also|Crawley Borough Council elections}}
[[File:WestSussexCrawley.png|thumb|right|Borough of Crawley shown within [[West Sussex]]]]
[[File:Crawley New Town Hall (1).jpg|thumb|[[Crawley Town Hall]], on The Boulevard in the town centre]]
[[File:Crawley1932OS.png|thumb|Ordnance Survey map of the Crawley area, 1932]]
The [[borough]] is part of a two-tier arrangement, with service provision shared with [[West Sussex County Council]]. Since 2018 the borough has partnered with other local authorities as part of the [[Greater Brighton City Region]]. The authority is divided into 13&nbsp;wards, each of which is represented by two or three local councillors, forming a total council of 36&nbsp;members. Most wards are coterminous with the borough's neighbourhoods, but three neighbourhoods are divided: [[Broadfield, West Sussex|Broadfield]], [[Northgate, West Sussex|Northgate]], and [[Pound Hill]] into "Pound Hill North and [[Forge Wood]]" and "Pound Hill South and Worth". The council is elected in thirds.<ref name="bcfe">{{cite web|url=http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/files/dms/Crawley_5885-5489__E__.pdf|title=Final recommendations on the future electoral arrangements for Crawley in West Sussex|access-date=31 July 2007|publisher=The Boundary Committee for England|year=2002|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110043846/http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/files/dms/Crawley_5885-5489__E__.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Crawley Borough Council has had a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] majority since 2022.

Crawley became a [[parish]] in the sixteenth century, having previously been a [[chapelry]] in the [[parish]] of [[Slaugham]]. Crawley's position straddling the Rapes of [[Rape of Bramber|Bramber]] and [[Rape of Lewes|Lewes]] with the High Street, London Road and Brighton Road forming the boundary, led to the town being divided, falling under the administration of both [[East Sussex County Council]] and [[West Sussex County Council]] when [[administrative counties of England|administrative counties]] were first formed in 1889. When [[district]] and [[Parish council (England)|parish councils]] were established under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], Crawley was given a [[Parish council (England)|parish council]]; it was included in the [[Horsham]] [[Rural District]] and was administered by West Sussex County Council. The [[parish]] was significantly enlarged in 1933, when it absorbed the neighbouring [[parish]] of [[Ifield, West Sussex|Ifield]].<ref name="visionofbritain.org.uk">{{cite web |title=Crawley Civil Parish / Ancient Parish / Chapelry |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10294800 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=10 September 2022}}</ref>

Following the designation as a New Town in 1947, the [[parish]] of Crawley was enlarged in 1953 to take in territory to the east, from the parishes of [[Slaugham]] and [[Worth, West Sussex|Worth]]. Three years later, on 1 April 1956, the parish of Crawley was made an [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban district]], making it independent from Horsham Rural District.<ref name="Gwynne165">{{Harvnb|Gwynne|1990|p=165.}}</ref><ref name="visionofbritain.org.uk"/> The [[Local Government Act 1972]] led to the [[district]] being reformed as a [[borough]] in April 1974,<ref name="arms">{{cite web|url=http://www.crawley.gov.uk/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=INT010340&ssTargetNodeId=425&strCSS=PB1_SS_MAIN|title=Coat of Arms|access-date=1 September 2007|publisher=Crawley Borough Council|year=2007|work=Crawley Borough Council website|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928092143/http://www.crawley.gov.uk/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=INT010340&ssTargetNodeId=425&strCSS=PB1_SS_MAIN|archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> gaining a mayor for the first time.<ref name="mayor">{{cite web|url=http://www.crawley.gov.uk/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=INT010428|title=Past Mayors|access-date=9 April 2008|publisher=Crawley Borough Council|year=2007|work=Crawley Borough Council website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111233702/http://www.crawley.gov.uk/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&ssDocName=INT010428|archive-date=11 November 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The new [[borough]] in 1974 also saw its boundaries enlarged, gaining other areas which had been included in the designated area of the New Town as well as the area north of the town including [[Gatwick Airport]], which had previously been in [[Surrey]].<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-Metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=10 September 2022}}</ref>

The [[Urban district council|Urban District Council]] received its [[coat of arms]] from the [[College of Heralds]] in 1957. After the change to [[borough]] status a modified coat of arms, based on the original, was awarded in 1976 and presented to the council on 24 March 1977. It features a central cross on a shield, representing the town's location at the meeting point of north–south and east–west roads. The shield bears nine [[martlet]]s representing both the county of [[Sussex]] and the new town's original nine neighbourhoods. Supporters, of an eagle and a winged lion, relate to the significance of the airport to the locality. The motto featured is ''I Grow and I Rejoice''—a translation of a phrase from the ''Epistulae'' of [[Seneca the Younger]].<ref name="arms"/> Despite a petition to save it,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-demolition-of-crawley-town-hall|title=Stop the demolition of Crawley Town Hall|publisher=38 Degrees|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=28 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528135018/https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-demolition-of-crawley-town-hall|url-status=live}}</ref> the old Crawley Town Hall, which was built in 1964, was demolished in 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://investcrawley.co.uk/news/shw-appointed-crawley-town-hall-redevelopment|title=SHW appointed on Crawley Town Hall redevelopment|date=12 June 2020|publisher=Invest Crawley|access-date=8 February 2021|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129035241/https://investcrawley.co.uk/news/shw-appointed-crawley-town-hall-redevelopment|url-status=live}}</ref> and a new [[Crawley Town Hall]] was completed in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Crawley's New Town Hall is officially opened |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/crawleys-new-town-hall-is-officially-opened-4075461 |access-date=23 April 2023 |work=Sussex World |date=22 March 2023}}</ref>

Initially, the [[district]] (and then [[borough]]) council worked with the [[English Partnerships|Commission for New Towns]] on many aspects of development; but in 1978 many of the commission's assets, such as housing and parks, were surrendered to the council. The authority's boundaries were extended in 1983 to accommodate the [[Bewbush]] and [[Broadfield, West Sussex|Broadfield]] neighbourhoods.<ref name="CBC-Guide-1997">{{Harvnb|Crawley Borough Council|1997|loc=Unpaginated.}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom government ===
Crawley has had its own MP since 1983, and the  [[Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|parliamentary constituency of Crawley]] shares the same boundaries as the borough. [[Peter Lamb (politician)|Peter Lamb]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] won the seat at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], replacing [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Henry Smith (British politician)|Henry Smith]] who was MP from 2010 to 2024. Previously, [[Laura Moffatt]], a member of the Labour Party, had been the MP for Crawley from 1997 to 2010; she was the [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Secretary of State for Health]], [[Alan Johnson]].<ref name="mp">{{cite web|url=http://www.lauramoffattmp.co.uk/ |title=Laura Moffatt—Labour Member of Parliament for Crawley |access-date=1 April 2008 |publisher=The Labour Party |year=2008 |work=Official website of Laura Moffatt MP |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419090655/http://www.lauramoffattmp.co.uk/ |archive-date=19 April 2008 }}</ref><ref name="PPS">{{cite news|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-3678,00.html |title=Laura Moffatt |access-date=1 April 2008 |publisher=Guardian News and Media Ltd |year=2008 |work=The Guardian |location=London Politics website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218113746/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0%2C%2C-3678%2C00.html |archive-date=18 February 2007 }}</ref> In the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]], the winning margin was the slimmest of any [[United Kingdom constituencies|UK constituency]]: Moffatt won by just 37 votes.<ref name="mp2">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4521191.stm|title=10 things about the election|access-date=31 July 2007|date=6 May 2005|publisher=BBC News Website: Election 2005|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122234119/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4521191.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Crawley was previously in the constituencies of [[Horsham and Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|Horsham and Crawley]] (1974-1983) and before that [[Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)|Horsham]] (to 1918, 1945-1974) and [[Horsham and Worthing (UK Parliament constituency)|Horsham and Worthing]] (1918-1945)

Two [[Immigration detention in the United Kingdom|immigration detention centres]] –&nbsp;[[Brook House Immigration Removal Centre|Brook House]] and [[Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre|Tinsley House]] –&nbsp;are situated within the grounds of [[Gatwick Airport]] in Crawley.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-29 |title=Brook House: Ongoing 'failings' at migrant removal centre |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpqjy4vlgg5o |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>