Ask a Busy Man: Boorman to Chair Neighbourhoods Plan Board
Retired senior manager at Hastings Borough Council Kevin Boorman has been chosen by its members, in consultation with local MP Helena Dollimore, to chair the board responsible for delivering up to £20 million investment awarded to the town under the government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods.
Previously introduced in 2023 by the Department for Levelling Up under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative administration as the Long Term Plan For Towns, and re-branded by Labour’s revised Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Neighbourhoods Plan offers £15m capital funds and £5m revenue over a ten-year period to each recipient town, including Hastings.
A Hastings Town Board was set up last year, representing local community and business leaders, to identify issues and priorities. It has been chaired hitherto on an interim basis by Rebecca Conroy, CEO of the East Sussex College Group. But this spring, the Board invited expressions of interest in a voluntary role of permanent chair, drew up a short list of applicants, and last week unveiled Boorman as the chosen candidate.
During the invitation process, some criticism was expressed, including on the Hastings Creatives network, that such an important role should not be expected to be undertaken on a voluntary unpaid basis. However, it is understood that a wide range of applicants came forward, and there is general acclamation for the choice made.
The old adage that if you want something done, you should ask a busy man to do it, fits Boorman to a tee. A lifelong resident of Hastings, his early career was with British Rail, taking a wide range of managerial roles including strategic planning and marketing. After the privatisation of the rail industry, he joined Hastings Borough Council in 1998, taking responsibility at various times for all marketing and communications, IT, the cliff railways, the foreshore, the White Rock Theatre, the museum and major events.
In retirement since 2023, his CV looks hardly less busy: chair of the Two Towers Trust and of the Marshlink Community Rail Partnership (see adjacent picture), trustee of the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link and of the Shipwreck Museum; PR officer for Hastings RNLI lifeboats.
He says he is delighted with his latest appointment: “I was born in the Old Town in the 1950s when it was one of the poorest parts of Hastings and have seen the town’s fortunes change considerably over the years – with some good times and some bad times. It now gets a far better press than 30 years ago when we were dubbed ‘Hellhole on Sea’.
“But I know there are still some major challenges facing the town, which remains very deprived in places. The Plan for Neighbourhoods gives us a real chance to make a real difference to our communities. We need to really listen to local people, and I am committed to consulting as widely as possible within the town.”
Next meeting of the Board is scheduled for next Friday, 11 July. Its ten-year plan is due to be submitted to the MHCLG in November.
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