Cinque or Swim?
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
The government has confirmed it will proceed with plans to abolish Hastings Borough Council (HBC), four other neighbouring district and borough councils, and East Sussex County Council, replacing them with a single unitary authority for East Sussex from April 2028.
The move is designed to simplify local government. Currently, services are split between two tiers: the county council handles strategic responsibilities such as education and social care, while district and borough councils manage more local matters like planning applications, housing, parks, and leisure centres. Under the new unitary model, all these services will be delivered by a new East Sussex Unitary Authority.
The government believes the reforms will “create stronger, more efficient councils that lay the foundations for real devolution and the economic growth that will bring new jobs and opportunities to communities right across England.”
The plans are broadly in line with the government’s original Local Government Reform proposals, published just before Christmas 2024. The only modification involves moving around 26,000 residents of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe from the Lewes district into Brighton & Hove.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Leader of HBC, said he and his colleagues would continue to “work for the best for Hastings’ residents” throughout the reorganisation, ensuring their needs are prioritised when the new unitary council is formed. He insisted that existing councils would continue to deliver services, with continuity prioritised during the transition, and pledged close cooperation with partners to protect local services and secure the best possible outcome for East Sussex.
An unintended potential pitfall of the reform is Hastings losing its prized status as one of the Cinque Ports – a fate that befell nearby Seaford in 1974. As part of the last major reorganisation fifty years ago, Seaford lost its independent Urban District Council when it was absorbed into Lewes District Council. Consequently, Seaford – which had been granted “corporate limb” status under the Confederation as a subordinate to Hastings – formally ceased to be an active Cinque Port member. There is a very real fear that Hastings could face the same fate.
Hastings was one of the original five members of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports when it was formed in the 11th century by the Saxon kings. Henry III formalised the arrangement with a Royal Charter in 1260, offering Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich lucrative inducements to supply ships and men to defend the coast. The town remained a key member of the club even after the devastating storm of 1287 destroyed its physical harbour.
Hastings Borough Councillor since 1998
Today, the Confederation of the Cinque Ports is a largely symbolic, civic, and charitable organisation. It brings a valuable tourist boost to each of the five towns – as was evident last year, when Cllr Becca Horn was invested as Speaker of the Cinque Ports at a historic ceremony in Hastings.
Once Hastings Borough Council is abolished in 2028, the town will lack both a council and a Mayor and, like Seaford half a century ago, risks losing its Cinque Port status unless it can secure formal civic recognition before then.
The council says it is aware of the problem. A council spokesperson said: “As we understand it, to remain a Cinque Port, Hastings needs to retain a formal civic status once local government reorganisation is complete. This could potentially be done by way of a town or parish council, or through the adoption of Charter Trustees, which are used to preserve civic and ceremonial rights that cannot otherwise be continued by a new unitary authority.
“Our Head of Community and Regulatory Services and Leader of the Council have met with the Confederation of Cinque Ports to understand how they can assist us as we move forward.
“The process to form a town or parish council is a Community Governance Review, which can take around a year. The general advice from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has been not to undertake such a review once the local government reorganisation process begins. Full Council agreed on 14 January not to go ahead with a Community Governance Review at that stage, but to pursue the adoption of Charter Trustees.
“We will be asking the government to clarify the issue of Cinque Ports status and how civic and ceremonial functions will be treated through local government reorganisation. Further information received this week expands on ceremonial and civic historical legacy, but some elements need further clarification.
“Retaining Hastings’ Cinque Ports status is a priority for the council.
“Once the shadow unitary authority is in place following elections in May 2027, it will be for the shadow authority / new authority to consider whether to undertake a Community Governance Review process.”
Long-serving Labour Councillor Trevor Webb, the Father of the House, says he is “aghast” at the “gross negligence” of the Green-led HBC and its “failure to understand the consequences of what the abolition of the council and Mayor in 2028 actually means.” He says the only way Hastings can save its Cinque Port status is by establishing a Charter Trust or a Town Council but believes the latter option has already been left too late by HBC. “We cannot allow 1,000 years of our history to sink without a trace because of negligence and incompetence.”
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