News in Brief
Dynamic Obfuscation
A freedom of Information request has failed to clarify whether arms manufacturer General Dynamics produced weapons at its Hastings factory which have been used by Israel in the Gaza conflict.
Hastings Borough Council owns the factory buildings and leases them to the arms company. The newly released documents show that, last July, HBC emailed General Dynamics to ‘establish if operations within the buildings result in those products being used in the current conflict’. It points out that some local campaigners have suggested that the council ‘reviews the leases’ it has with the manufacturer.
The FOI request by local campaigner Andrea Needham elicited a response to the council’s communication from General Dynamics. It says of the avionics systems and tactical communications equipment it produces at the Castleton Road site: “I can assure you in all instances these products are manufactured for the UK military or allied nations approved by the UK government.” However, campaigners point out that this totally fails to clarify whether Israel might be one of those ‘approved’ allied nations.
HBC’s lease with General Dynamics commits the arms manufacturer not to use the premises ‘for any illegal or immoral purpose’.
Andrea Needham is quoted by the Hastings Online Times as saying “General Dynamics is known to be one of the world’s largest weapons manufacturers and a major supplier of military technology to Israel and the US – technology that is being used in both Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and the current illegal US/Israeli aggression against Iran. I urge HBC to terminate all dealings with this evil company, either by revoking the license or by selling the property in question.”
The HBC official whose name is redacted, told the company last July “I am not in any way suggesting that (a lease review) is the council’s intention.”
The full correspondence from the FOI between HBC and general Dynamics is available at: hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk /hot-topics/campaigns/revealed-hbcs-correspondence-with-arms-company
Town Centre Public Realm
East Sussex County Council has announced completion of the final designs for the much delayed and snappily titled Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections Project. It comes after public consultation and extensive technical work.
The finalised plans set out a timeline for delivery with construction planned to begin in Autumn 2026 with works expected to be completed by Winter 2027/2028. However residents and local businesses will still be able to share their views as part of a further statutory consultation process.
The plans cover Havelock Road, Harold Place and Wellington Place as well as the area in front of the station. Further details from
hastingstowndeal.co.uk/town-centre-public-realm-green-connections
Surgery Closed
The Harold Road GP’s surgery in Ore has been closed “until further notice” due to “significant water damage”. A surgery notice says: “Emergency repair works were carried out; however, these have unfortunately not resolved the issue and water is still entering the building. To ensure the safety of our patients and staff, we have made the decision to temporarily close this site.”
At least one irritated patient has written to local MP Helena Dollimore to complain about the closure and lack of information on when it will reopen.
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