News in Brief
In with the New
Hastings Borough Council has announced the make-up of its new administration following the May elections in which the Green Party won an overall majority.
Glenn Haffenden remains leader of the council with Julia Hilton as deputy leader. Paula Warne was named Mayor of Hastings, with Amanda Jobson as deputy. Other cabinet posts went to councillors Darren Mackenzie, Mark Etherington, Jo Walker, Becca Horn, Solly Solamito and Clem McCulloch.
Former Labour council leader Peter Chowney welcomed the changes: “Glenn seems to have gone for stability, creating a couple of additional cabinet posts. The Green leadership was a bit overcautious at first I thought, but they got more confident as they gained experience. Recent changes in the senior officer structure should help them too. It is, of course, supposed to be fairly short-lived with HBC set to be abolished, but if we get a new Prime Minister, who knows?”
All existing district, borough, and county councils in Sussex are scheduled to be replaced by new unitary authorities in April 2028.
Ban the Beads
A petition with more than 10,000 signatures has been presented to Parliament calling for plastic beads to be banned by water companies. The move follows millions of the ‘bio beads’ being released from Southern Water’s Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Plant last Autumn, and polluting Camber Sands, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, and other Southern coastal areas.
Hastings MP Helena Dollimore who presented the petition to 10 Downing Street said “We are saying to Southern Water and all the water companies that are using these plastic beads — think again. Better, more modern technology exists … this catastrophe has shown us the risk that it poses to our environment.”
Henri Brocklebank Director of Conservation at Sussex Wildlife Trust said: “There is only one way to guarantee that we never have a spill of bio-beads again. That is to stop our wastewater treatment works from using them. They are an old and redundant technology, and we must see their use ended swiftly.”
Petitions need more than 100,000 signatures to ensure a parliamentary debate is considered.
Slow Readers
An overdue library book has finally been returned to East Sussex Council after 43 years. The Potter’s Book of Glaze Recipes by Emmanuel Cooper has been handed in to the library having been originally due back in June 1983. It’s part of the Library Service’s annual amnesty, without which a fine of £3,923.75 would have been due if the current rate of 25p per day had been levied.
Nick Skelton, East Sussex County Council’s Assistant Director of Communities said: “Since the amnesty began on Monday, February 16, a total of 22,160 overdue loans and 683 lost books have been returned or renewed. It is great to have these titles back on library shelves and available once again.”
The majority of overdue loans (65%) were in junior fiction at the start of this year’s amnesty and Hastings and Eastbourne libraries had a combined total of 13,454 overdue books. The longest overdue item ever returned was missing from bookshelves for 48 years. Havelok The Warrior by Ian Serraillier, which was taken out from Hastings Library, should have been returned in April 1975, but was only brought back in 2023.
Keep Young and Beautiful
Hastings Borough Council says it has unveiled a £700,000 grants scheme to help community groups, sports clubs, charities and CICs upgrade facilities for leisure and physical activity.
The two-year funding programme offers three tiers of grant support: Small Grants (£2,000–£10,000), Medium Grants (£10,000–£75,000) and Major Grants (£75,000–£150,000) for ‘transformative’ projects. The grant funding can be used for capital improvements including building repairs, sports area upgrades, accessibility enhancements and permanent equipment. Applications for essential specialist equipment may also be considered.
Council leader Cllr Glenn Haffenden said: “There are huge benefits to being active, not only physically but also for mental health and making community links. I’m passionate about making sure the whole borough has access to these opportunities.” The first round of funding closes on Sunday 12 July. However, with multiple funding rounds planned over the two-year programme, organisations will have ample time to develop strong proposals and apply when they are ready.
For more information visit: hastings.gov.uk/sport_play/leisure-grants-programme
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