1066 Country Rides Again
KENT BARKER
Hastings is expected to rejoin the 1066 Country marketing partnership in the near future. Deputy Council leader Julia Hilton told HIP that they had been in discussions with the group “over the past few weeks” over rejoining “in particular for their excellent work promoting the area to the overseas market.”
The move follows pressure from the town’s MP and Labour members of the council to rejoin the local tourism board which promotes the 378 square miles of East Sussex from Pevensey Bay to Camber Sands and back to the Kent border.
In February 2023 the council, then controlled by Labour, withdrew its support for 1066 Country saying the £50,000 a year cost was unaffordable. Councillor Andy Batsford said at the time: “Hastings is a really strong brand in its own right and we feel we can go it alone and actually push hard on the new businesses, the new investment, the new cultural buzz that is happening in the town.”
However, Mr Batsford along with council leader Paul Barnett and four other members resigned from the Labour Party later that year to sit as independents. Earlier this month the three remaining Labour councillors called for the council to rejoin the tourism and marketing initiative. Councillor Billie Barnes tabled a motion at full council supporting the idea, saying ‘“The Bayeux Tapestry returning to Britain represents an exceptional, once-in- a-generation opportunity for the area. It is vital to put on a united effort as ‘one 1066 Country’ to maximise regional tourism opportunities and profile”.
1066 Country Marketing describes itself as a ‘thriving public and private sector partnership, bringing together Rother District Council, Wealden District Council, Tourism South East, National Trust and English Heritage alongside scores of private businesses.’
Local MP Helena Dollimore supported the call for Hastings to rejoin, saying many local businesses who rely on tourism “want Hastings to return to the 1066 Country Tourism partnership. … with Hastings Council receiving a record funding settlement from the Labour Government this year, now is the time to return to this important partnership and I hope councillors will support this.”
Cllr Julia Hilton remained tight-lipped about the cost of rejoining. “I won’t comment on the financial contribution we will be making for that work as that is still being finalised,” she told HIP. As a result of the decision, she said: “The motion that the Labour group was intending to bring has therefore been rejected as the work to rejoin is already in progress.”
John Bownas, business improvement manager for the Love Hastings marketing group said he was positive “the majority of leisure and tourism businesses – in fact probably all businesses in the borough – will wholeheartedly welcome the call to reinstate Hastings’ funding for 1066 Country Marketing”.
Mr Bownas pointed out that the decision to withhold the £50,000 contribution to the partnership and replace it with a local budget of £15,000 meant Hastings had ‘lost a seat at the table where strategic tourism marketing happens. This has left our local businesses immensely frustrated, feeling that their individual membership fees are perhaps being spent to the benefit of other towns in the wider region.’ He estimated the regional visitor economy to be worth in the region of £665 million which means that the overall saving to the council of £35,000 was disproportionate as the potential return on investment is enormous. Tourists don’t plan their holidays around local authority borders, he said: “When visitors come to the South East, they see Hastings, Battle, and Rye as one interconnected destination. Trying to market Hastings in a hyper-local silo not only duplicates administrative effort, but it actively confuses consumers and forces our attractions to compete rather than collaborate.”
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply