What theParties Say:
Conservatives
Labour has controlled Hastings Borough Council for the past 14 years, building up huge debts and mismanaging the town’s finances in the process. Recently, the local Labour Party split in two, and the Greens are now propping up a minority partnership with the new “Hastings Independents” who are the same former Labour councillors who have taken us to the brink of bankruptcy.
The local election count at Horntye, May 2022
A Conservative council will deliver common sense leadership and the due diligence to ensure every penny of your council tax is spent efficiently. Local politics should be about accountability. Why should those who put us in this position be allowed to re-brand, walk away from their mess, and stay in control with the Green Party?
Our Conservative team pledge to implement an emergency budget on day one to immediately address and stabilise the town’s finances, along with a promise to protect the town’s green spaces by permanently removing key areas from the local building and development plan.
Greens
Since Greens have led the council we have brought a more open and collaborative approach to decision-making. The town needs an outward-looking council that makes sensible financial decisions informed by proper scrutiny and community consultation on big capital projects.
We must enable an affordable warm home for everyone who needs it. A safe long-term home is a human right. A commitment to reduce the huge health inequalities in our town needs to be threaded through all that the council provides ― from access to a safe, clean, green environment to good quality jobs and skills training,
We have one of the largest creative communities in the UK, and we should harness that to enrich our cultural and creative assets, as well as providing routes into creative work for local people. Alongside that goes a commitment to celebrating and promoting our tourism and cultural offerings, and making them accessible to all.
Independents
Eight experienced councillors resigned from Labour last December to form Hastings Independents. We now focus exclusively on local issues in order to give Hastings the strong voice it needs and deserves.
On the doorstep people are saying how tired they are of national politics and of national parties telling Hastings what’s good for them. The Labour party told Hastings to write a manifesto based on Brighton, and refused to allow the selection of candidates to be done by local people. And they have been told by London: no local partnerships, with Greens, Independents or anyone else.
This isn’t what Hastings wants. People here want a progressive left council that listens, is open, and acts on local priorities.
We have recently held open public debates about the housing crisis, and about sport and play opportunities.
We have been working happily and well in partnership with the Green Party since January. Our councillors have solved the council’s budget challenge and secured £15m new funding for housing from government.
Labour
We have set out five key pledges to build a better Hastings and for the council to focus on its priorities and build an even better town. These include plans to:
Get Hastings building again by working with developers to deliver the homes Hastings needs, in the right places with the right local services nearby.
Take on Southern Water by working with residents and local groups to monitor sewage levels and ensure no more avoidable flooding of the town centre.
Clean up Hastings by restoring “Ghostbuster” dealing with the weeds and graffiti that blights the town and encouraging business owners to take pride in their shop fronts.
Create a safer Hastings by working with the police to crackdown on speeding, end the scourge of shoplifting and target anti-social behaviour.
Provide opportunities for young people by working with local universities, businesses and schools to raise standards and increase training and employment opportunities.
Liberal Democrats
We are fielding eight candidates in the local elections – only in wards currently held by the Conservatives and Reform UK. The Conservative Party is responsible for all manner of the ills and difficulties that Hastings and St Leonards families and our most disadvantaged are facing at the moment. They need to be removed from power at all levels of government.
Our aims at the election are to seek a closer relationship between the Council and the community; a return to the pluralism that has been lost under Labour; wider consultation in the planning system; and an end to Tony Blair’s cabinet system in local government, returning to a committee system where all councillors would be equal.
We will also seek the regeneration of shopping streets, an end to the monopoly of over-sized housing associations in public housing, and an advance of public housing in partnership with neighbouring in full awareness of the climate crisis.
Reform UK
We present a bold vision for Hastings Borough Council centred around clear communication, community-led governance, and transformative change.
Our first priority is to transition into a unitary council, ensuring that those who know Hastings best – its people – are the ones steering its course.
We will implement targeted strategies to attract investment, support local businesses, and create new job opportunities. We will cultivate an environment where entrepreneurship flourishes and every resident has the chance to thrive.
We will prioritise investment in vital infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity, accessibility, and overall quality of life.
We will bolster public safety measures, increase police presence, and implement effective crime prevention strategies. By fostering collaboration between law enforcement and the community, we will create a safer Hastings for all.
We will increase affordable housing stock and support those experiencing homelessness. Through collaboration with housing organisations and community stakeholders, we will strive to ensure that every resident has a place to call home.
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