In the space of just over a week, thousands of struggling families across Hastings and St Leonards have learned that the automatic allocation of supermarket food vouchers issued to them by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to help keep their children fed over the summer holidays have been scrapped. Days later, Source Park, the town’s famous underground skatepark, was forced to close immediately for emergency repairs. It will not reopen until at least 2027. 

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JASON ELLIS

The double blow will fall hardest on those already struggling to make ends meet. With the cost-of-living crisis still biting and school canteens firmly shut, the removal of automatic holiday food support will leave many parents scrambling to put meals on the table. 

At the heart of the food voucher controversy is a decision by the Reform UK-led ESCC to stop automatically issuing supermarket vouchers to struggling families over the holidays. The council believes they can “provide better, more targeted support to those families facing the greatest challenges” through other initiatives. However, the timing of the announcement meant many parents only discovered they would not receive vouchers over the holidays in the final week of the summer term.

The sudden shutdown of the Source Park has drawn sharp criticism of the Foreshore Trust, the charitable body that controls and administers seafront land on behalf of Hastings Borough Council from Bulverhythe to Ecclesbourne Glen. Only last month, the Foreshore Trust set out plans for a “phased approach” to essential repair works at Source Park “to minimise disruption.” Those plans have now been abandoned, amid accusations of poor communication and mismanagement – a common complaint about council management of places like Azur and St Mary in the Castle.


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https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DSC_0246-2-Enhanced-NR-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale-Large-987x1024.jpeghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DSC_0246-2-Enhanced-NR-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale-Large-150x150.jpegPaul MclaughlinNewsTop StoriesAzur,Hastings Borough Council,Paul McLaughlin,Reform UK,Source BMX park,St Mary in the CastleIn the space of just over a week, thousands of struggling families across Hastings and St Leonards have learned that the automatic allocation of supermarket food vouchers issued to them by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to help keep their children fed over the summer holidays have been scrapped....The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper