Author Archives: Paul Mclaughlin
Government Pauses Council Reform
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Government plans for the reform of local government across Sussex have been put on hold. Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, told…
A Very Special Moment
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Royalty and world leaders may have topped the guest list, but it was the schoolchildren from Hastings who stole the spotlight at last Wednesday’s historic unveiling of the…
Southern Water Stink
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The unmistakable stench of raw sewage once again hung over Bulverhythe last Thursday morning (20 August), after Southern Water began discharging untreated wastewater from its Bexhill and Hastings…
Local Skipper Homelessness Once Again
PAUL McLAUGHLIN The skipper of the stricken sloop, Maranatha, which ran aground off the Sussex coast, is locally born sailor, Justyn. After becoming homeless in Hastings two years ago, he has…
Reform in Reverse
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Reform UK has withdrawn its threat to report Barry Ashley, the owner of the Grumpy Cook café in Robertson Street, to the police, along with local Labour MP…
Greens and Reform Clash over Al Mawasi Link
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The simmering tensions between the Green-led Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and Reform UK, the main opposition group, burst to the surface at a prickly meeting of the Full…
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…
World Upside Down
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…
Shock Closure of Source Park
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The Source Park, one of the world's largest underground skateparks, has been forced to close its doors with immediate effect due to urgent health and safety concerns. The…
William Conquers Hastings
PAUL McLAUGHLIN The Prince of Wales paid a whirlwind visit to Hastings on 9 July, spending the day meeting local fishermen, playing crazy golf and being inducted into the Winkle…
Council Launches New Sports and Leisure Funding Grants
Hastings Borough Council has unveiled a £700,000 grants scheme to help community groups, sports clubs, charities and CICs upgrade leisure and physical activity facilities across the town. The two-year funding…
Local Hospitality in Crisis
Paul McLaughlin Hospitality businesses across Hastings and St Leonards are feeling an acute squeeze. With their heavy reliance on part-time and seasonal staff, local restaurants, pubs and cafes are struggling with higher…
Eyesore on George Street
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN There is mounting frustration from local traders and residents over the developers’ failure to transform the site of a burnt-out nightclub at the entrance to George Street. In…
MP Secures Free Bayeux Tapestry Tickets for Local Schoolchildren
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Schools in Hastings and 1066 Country will receive priority booking for free tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry when it goes on display at the British Museum later…
New Owner Found for The Bridge
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The future of The Bridge Community Centre in Hastings has been secured after current owners, the Parchment Trust, announced they have found a new buyer for the building…
Council Tax Bills Set to Rise
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved draft budget plans, including a council tax increase for residents from April. This is the maximum rise allowed by the government without…
Local Mother’s Road Safety Campaign
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A local mother’s campaign for tougher road safety laws following the death of her son has won the backing of the Government and led to the introduction of…
Hastings in Eye of Political Storm
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The political whirlwind engulfing the government swept through Hastings last Thursday morning (5 February) as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived at a wet and windy Horntye Park…
Local Elections Postponed – Maybe
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The Government has sparked anger in Westminster by officially postponing this year’s council elections across Hastings and East Sussex. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local…
Hastings Residents Affected by Major Gas Leak
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Emergency services evacuated residents from the Queens Apartments in Robertson Terrace, Hastings on 2 December after detecting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in first-floor flats. The incident,…
Ambitious New Housing Strategy
Paul McLaughlin Hastings Borough Council has launched its first housing strategy since 2019. The 2025-2030 plan makes confronting the town’s “severe and worsening affordability crisis” its top priority. Council Leader…
Landslides Action Plan
Rod Webb and Paul McLaughlin The threat of landslides in Hastings and St Leonards is real and persistent (see page 5), with 24 recorded events in recent years. The most recent landslides…
Reform UK Tops the Poll in East Sussex
Reform UK has won the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) by-election held in Ashdown and Conquest on Thursday 20 November. Aidan Fisher was elected with 32% (797) of the vote,…
By-Election Battle Looms
Paul McLaughlin A by-election for the East Sussex County Council seat of Ashdown and Conquest will be held on 20 November, following the sudden death of Conservative Councillor Peter Pragnell.…
Shock at The Bridge Sell-Off
Paul McLaughlin The Parchment Trust has confirmed plans to sell The Bridge Community Centre at 361 Priory Road in Hastings. The building, which has been closed for over seven years,…
Pelham Arcade Roof Collapse
Safety Warnings were Ignored PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The arcades in Pelham Crescent at the front of St Mary in the Castle sustained significant damage on Saturday (27 September) after sections of…
Labour MP hits out at rise in crime and anti-social behaviour in the Old Town
Local Labour MP Helena Dollimore organised a public meeting at the Stables Theatre on the 7th August to address the recent spike in incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour in…