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 MPs in Parliament on Monday (7 September) that she had launched a review of the reorganisation proposals “to satisfy myself firstly that the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law.” She added: “I want to fully test whether our proposals for local government reorganisation meet the priorities of a new administration and a new prime minister, and any additional considerations.”

The decision means that the immediate threat of abolition hanging over Hastings Borough Council in 2028 is lifted. It may also mean that Hastings will not hold local elections next May, as those ballots were scheduled for the new East Hastings Unitary Authority.

Council Leader Glenn Haffenden condemned the government’s decision as an “absolute shambles”.

Local Plan Update

Cllr Haffenden was speaking just hours after the government announcement when he chaired the council Cabinet, which was meeting to recommend approval of a new Local Plan that will shape the town’s development over the next 15 years.

The draft plan sets out a vision of how Hastings will grow and change in the period up to 2041. It addresses some of the most significant challenges facing the borough, including the need for more homes, the urgency of tackling climate change, the importance of protecting green spaces and historic character, and the need to strengthen the local economy.

The Cabinet unanimously approved that the draft Local Plan goes before the Full Council  on 23 September for debate and a formal vote before a final stage of public consultation.

Housing crisis

The Cabinet discussion on the Local Plan focussed on the town’s housing crisis. In his foreword to the draft plan consultation in February, Council Leader Glenn Haffenden, said: “Housing remains one of the most pressing issues for our community.” The push for a new plan comes against a backdrop of a severe housing shortage. The government’s nationally calculated housing need for Hastings currently stands at 686 net new homes per year – more than three times the rate planned for under the current 2014 Local Plan, which made provision for just 200 homes annually.

Over the full period of the Plan, this would equate to a need for 12,348 new homes. However, the council’s capacity-led approach has identified land for a little under 3,300 net new homes – just 27% of the identified need. The council insists it has left “no stone unturned” in identifying all suitable, available and deliverable sites across the borough.

The proposed plan adopts an “at least” housing target, which is set 10% lower than the current housing land supply figure. Council officers argue this provides necessary contingency given potential complexities around site delivery, land ownership and the impact of housing renewal schemes.

Extensive consultation

The Local Plan has been developed through two rounds of public consultation under Regulation 18, with the most recent exercise between February and April 2026 generating over 2,300 comments from more than 540 individuals and organisations. Five public drop-in events and six targeted special interest group sessions were held across the town.

Feedback has informed a range of changes to policies and site allocations, including the removal of some sites, the addition of three new sites and revisions to indicative housing yields. The former Convent of the Holy Child Jesus on Magdalen Road is now proposed as a housing-led, mixed-use allocation, while Four Courts on Stonehouse Drive has received its own site allocation policy.

Employment and infrastructure challenges

The plan also grapples with significant shortfalls in employment land. A review has reduced available employment land supply to approximately 15,000 sqm, against a requirement of 70,400 sqm – a shortfall of around 75%. The council’s approach is to promote densification of existing employment areas and resist the loss of existing employment land and premises.

Infrastructure delivery is a key component, with ongoing engagement with East Sussex County Council on transport, flood risk and education, alongside discussions with the NHS and utility providers including Southern Water.

Public Concerns

At Monday evening’s Cabinet meeting, concerns were raised about the draft plan, criticising the housing targets as too modest and the densification assumptions as overly cautious. Unease also centred on the fact that only one part of the densification study had been published beforehand. In response, Cllr Mark Etherington, the Planning, Infrastructure and Regulatory Services Portfolio Holder, said: “We place no cap on density,” adding that there needs to be an “intelligent look at densification levels.”

It is also worth noting that the recent refusal of planning permission for new homes next to Sandrock Bends – combined with the highly unusual decision being taken by council officers rather than elected members– raised serious questions about planning transparency.

What happens next

Subject to Full Council approval on 23 September, the six-week Regulation 19 consultation will be the final opportunity for the public to comment on the plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination. However, representations must relate to legal compliance or soundness – specifically whether the plan is positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy.

A further report will be presented to Full Council in December 2026, summarising issues raised and seeking authority to submit the plan for examination before the government’s 31 December deadline. Council officers warn that failure to progress the Local Plan would leave the authority vulnerable to speculative development, reduce local influence over where growth occurs, and potentially expose the council to government intervention.

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 Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum. As the King and Queen, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and French President Emmanuel Macron looked on, pupils from Mulberry West St Leonards Primary Academy, the Mulberry Academy Hastings, and Claverham Community College became the true stars as the 1,000-year-old artefact, on loan from France, was unveiled.

Labour MP Helena Dollimore, who led the campaign to secure free priority exhibition tickets for local school groups – along with complimentary train travel from Southeastern Railway for 1,066 students,joined the children at the ceremony.  Her campaign was backed by broadcaster and 1066 Country resident David Dimbleby and historian Dan Snow, who co-signed her letter to British Museum Chairman George Osborne last year calling for the scheme after the exhibition was announced. 

Helena Dollimore told HIP: “Everyone is so excited about the Bayeux Tapestry returning to our shores for the first time in nearly 1,000 years, and it is only right that children from Hastings and 1066 Country are at the heart of this national moment.” She added: “Hastings has often been at the centre of historical events, but we have not always felt the benefits, and we currently rank in the bottom 10 places nationally for social mobility.”

For the pupils of Mulberry West St Leonards Primary Academy, the visit to the British Museum was a history lesson brought vividly to life. Imari marvelled at the intricate craftsmanship of the tapestry, while fellow pupil Lottie was awestruck by its “immaculate preservation”. Thomas said watching the King address the crowd in both French and English helped everyone grasp the event’s significance and made him realise “how lucky we are that the tapestry is still intact”. Polly was full of praise for the museum staff, saying they were “kind and professional and made us all feel very welcome”.

Ms Dollimore said she was “so proud to represent Hastings and to introduce local children to His Majesty the King and Queen, President Macron, and the Prime Minister. It was a very special moment and they did us proud.”

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 No. 2 combined sewer overflow (CSO) at 9:18am. The outflow pipe releases the sewage roughly two miles out to sea, but the acrid smell quickly drifted back to shore and lingered across the town for much of the day.

Southern Water attributed the discharge to intense rainfall, explaining that the release was necessary to relieve pressure on the sewer network and prevent backups that could have flooded homes, businesses, and roads. The discharge continued for 4 hours and 44 minutes and resulted in pollutants that are harmful to both swimmers and wildlife being pumped into the sea.

The downpour dumped up to 12mm of rain on Hastings, but the recent hot, very dry weather has left the ground hard and parched. Instead of being absorbed, the rainwater ran off rapidly into the drains, overwhelming the combined sewer system and triggering the overflow.

Under current regulations, water companies are permitted to discharge raw sewage via storm overflows during and after heavy rainfall, provided the rate exceeds 10mm per hour. However, according to the Check-For-Flooding service on the gov.uk website, the Hastings Baldslow gauge recorded just 12mm of rainfall between 4am and 10am on Thursday morning – an average rate of only 2mm per hour – and peaked between 6am-7am at 4.6mm, far below the permitted threshold.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said the company “understands the public concern around storm overflows” and is committed to reducing reliance on them. The water company is investing £1.5 billion as part of its Clean Rivers and Seas Plan and says this has already prevented hundreds of storm overflow releases in its first year. They also have plans to spend more than £100m to upgrade water and wastewater networks in Hastings.

Local MP Helena Dollimore said: “It beggars belief that after just 12mm of rain, Southern Water discharged sewage into our sea, after one of the driest summers on record – yet again violating environmental regulations and polluting our coastline. The Labour Government has already taken important steps to ramp up regulation, fines, monitoring and criminal prosecutions. But we must now go further to fix our broken water system. After an era of extraction, with money siphoned off by shareholders instead of spent maintaining vital infrastructure, we need to see water back under public control.”

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 lived continuously aboard boats. An experienced mariner, Justyn knows the perils of navigating the English Channel, particularly along the Sussex coast.

Recounting the incident, Justyn explained that he had dropped anchor roughly 500 metres from the Goat Ledge restaurant and secured his mooring when the wind suddenly changed direction. He now regrets his decision to re-anchor. The windlass mechanism, which is used to safely raise, lower, and secure the anchor and chain failed, forcing him to manually crank the gear by hand. Despite his efforts, the sloop began to drift, and in desperation, he called HM Coastguard.

The coastguard responded promptly. Justyn initially refused to abandon ship, believing he could rescue her at high tide. However, in the early hours of Wednesday (5 August), the sloop began taking on water, and he was forced to bail out. Coastguard members bravely waded out to the vessel to ensure it posed no danger to other craft or to beachgoers.

The wreck has left Justyn homeless once more. He now sleeps on benches along the Grand Parade’s lower promenade, though he managed to salvage some of his possessions – and even the vessel’s engine – by rowing them ashore in his dinghy, no small feat given its size.

Justyn is philosophical about the loss, having weathered far greater traumas in his life. He is determined to return to sea, where he feels most at home. He plans to rest for a few days before sailing his dinghy to Rye for some recuperation along the Military Canal. 

Friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help Justyn get back on his feet: gofundme.com/f/needing-a-new-home-due-to-weather

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 Helena Dollimore. The party, which now controls East Sussex County Council (ESCC), had accused them of “inciting hatred and potential violence” against Council Leader Andy Woolley, following the Council’s decision to scrap summer holiday food vouchers for children.

Helena Dollimore had described the Council’s decision as “disgraceful” while Barry Ashley promised to “provide free lunches to those who need them most to ensure that no child goes hungry during the school holidays.”

Local anger over the council decision was picked up by the national media, sparking sharp criticism nationwide. In response, Cllr Woolley addressed the hostility directed at him and his family in an email to Ms Dollimore and Mr Ashley. He pointed out that it was a collective decision by the ESCC Cabinet to stop issuing the vouchers and claimed “Your continued naming of me personally has led to an increase in online abuse of me personally and has now reached a point where you could be responsible for inciting hate and potential violence against me, a political official, and members of my family. You of all people should be aware of the increased sensitivity of these sorts of posts since the sad murder of Ann Widdecombe. As such, I shall be reporting you both to the police and to the Parliamentary Standards Committee.”

Mr Ashley said he was taken aback by the Council Leader’s response to his Help Feed a Child This Summer initiative. He has been providing kids with free meals each day to ensure that no child goes hungry during the school holidays and said he never expected this would end in threats of police action.

Initial disbelief over Cllr Woolley’s threatening emails quickly gave way to ridicule across social media, as the Council Leader, an advocate for free speech, was mocked for seemingly opposing it.

Following the backlash, a spokesperson for Reform UK issued a statement clarifying that Cllr Woolley was not pursuing a personal complaint against either Mr Ashley or Ms Dollimore. Instead, “was seeking advice through Sussex Police’s procedure for supporting elected members who receive threats and abuse.” The spokesperson went on to say: “No one should face a police report for simply criticising a decision the council has made.”

The spokesperson concluded by saying Cllr Woolley and his family had received a “large amount of highly abusive and threatening messages from other people across the country, well beyond Sussex. The decision to end the vouchers was taken collectively and has been personalised in a way that a collective decision should not be. Andy has always been clear that he does not hold Mr Ashley or Ms Dollimore responsible for the abuse itself, which has come from others.”

Ms Dollimore welcomed “the clarification”. She said “politicians and members of the public should be free to comment on and criticise decisions made by their opponents. I know that Reform UK includes ‘defence of free speech’ as amongst its policies.”

Mr Ashley said he would continue to provide free meals to struggling families.

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 Council on 15 July.

The antipathy between the two parties boiled over after a seemingly innocuous motion to “review” the town’s international twinning and friendship links was tabled by Doreena Ross, the Reform UK Group Leader.

The motion called on the council to set out “guiding principles” for its international partnerships, including “public benefit, transparency, community participation, and good governance.” It also requested a Cabinet report detailing HBC’s role in “all recognised international links, its relationship with the Hastings Association of Twin Towns (HATT), and the rationale for each link and whether they remain the most appropriate arrangements for Hastings today.”

Hastings currently maintains formal twinning arrangements with Dordrecht (Netherlands), Schwerte (Germany), Oudenaarde (Belgium), and Béthune (France), alongside friendship links with Hastings in Sierra Leone and Al-Mawasi in Gaza.

The friendship link with Al-Mawasi has proved to be particularly contentious. It was passed in July 2025 when the then minority-led Green-controlled council voted to twin Hastings with the Gaza town in a move described as showing “solidarity” with Palestine.

Although Reform UK had no councillors at the time, during the recent local election campaign the party issued “Pot Holes not Palestine” leaflets, arguing that HBC should prioritise local matters rather than give a platform to such a divisive foreign policy issue.

The Reform motion stopped short of calling for the link with Al-Mawasi to be severed, instead emphasising “transparency and clarity of purpose” to “help support public awareness, engagement and confidence.”

The motion riled Council Leader Glenn Haffenden. He responded saying “it was clear why we don’t want Reform UK running the council or even the government, because they have a one item agenda which has clearly been shown this evening.”

He went on to say that the “council does not spend any money on the twinning arrangements, nor does it waste council officer resources.” In stark contrast, he said Cllr Ross’ motion “would waste money and vital council resources” ahead of the local government reorganisation when “our officers are going to be so overworked to be able to try and get the best position for Hastings.”

The Reform UK Group Leader was clearly irritated by the comments saying she “found it extraordinary that there was so much defensiveness” from Cllr Haffenden, adding “he was playing politics” with the motion. She insisted that she was “raising the concerns of 8000 people who voted for Reform UK in the recent elections. We had many doorstep conversations, and we continued to have those. I did not bring a party line to this motion, and I take exception to that.”

The meeting agreed to refer the motion to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) for consideration of its inclusion in its 2026/27 Work Programme.

At last Monday’s meeting of the OSC (20 July), it was agreed to set up a sub-committee, chaired by Cllr Ross, and for her to take forward evidence gathering and report back to OSC prior to reporting to Full Council in January.

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 them with a single unitary authority for East Sussex from April 2028.

The move is designed to simplify local government. Currently, services are split between two tiers: the county council handles strategic responsibilities such as education and social care, while district and borough councils manage more local matters like planning applications, housing, parks, and leisure centres. Under the new unitary model, all these services will be delivered by a new East Sussex Unitary Authority.

The government believes the reforms will “create stronger, more efficient councils that lay the foundations for real devolution and the economic growth that will bring new jobs and opportunities to communities right across England.”

The plans are broadly in line with the government’s original Local Government Reform proposals, published just before Christmas 2024. The only modification involves moving around 26,000 residents of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe from the Lewes district into Brighton & Hove.

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Leader of HBC, said he and his colleagues would continue to “work for the best for Hastings’ residents” throughout the reorganisation, ensuring their needs are prioritised when the new unitary council is formed. He insisted that existing councils would continue to deliver services, with continuity prioritised during the transition, and pledged close cooperation with partners to protect local services and secure the best possible outcome for East Sussex.

An unintended potential pitfall of the reform is Hastings losing its prized status as one of the Cinque Ports – a fate that befell nearby Seaford in 1974. As part of the last major reorganisation fifty years ago, Seaford lost its independent Urban District Council when it was absorbed into Lewes District Council. Consequently, Seaford – which had been granted “corporate limb” status under the Confederation as a subordinate to Hastings – formally ceased to be an active Cinque Port member. There is a very real fear that Hastings could face the same fate.

Hastings was one of the original five members of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports when it was formed in the 11th century by the Saxon kings. Henry III formalised the arrangement with a Royal Charter in 1260, offering Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich lucrative inducements to supply ships and men to defend the coast. The town remained a key member of the club even after the devastating storm of 1287 destroyed its physical harbour.

Today, the Confederation of the Cinque Ports is a largely symbolic, civic, and charitable organisation. It brings a valuable tourist boost to each of the five towns – as was evident last year, when Cllr Becca Horn was invested as Speaker of the Cinque Ports at a historic ceremony in Hastings.

Once Hastings Borough Council is abolished in 2028, the town will lack both a council and a Mayor and, like Seaford half a century ago, risks losing its Cinque Port status unless it can secure formal civic recognition before then.

The council says it is aware of the problem. A council spokesperson said: “As we understand it, to remain a Cinque Port, Hastings needs to retain a formal civic status once local government reorganisation is complete. This could potentially be done by way of a town or parish council, or through the adoption of Charter Trustees, which are used to preserve civic and ceremonial rights that cannot otherwise be continued by a new unitary authority.

“Our Head of Community and Regulatory Services and Leader of the Council have met with the Confederation of Cinque Ports to understand how they can assist us as we move forward.

“The process to form a town or parish council is a Community Governance Review, which can take around a year. The general advice from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has been not to undertake such a review once the local government reorganisation process begins. Full Council agreed on 14 January not to go ahead with a Community Governance Review at that stage, but to pursue the adoption of Charter Trustees.

“We will be asking the government to clarify the issue of Cinque Ports status and how civic and ceremonial functions will be treated through local government reorganisation. Further information received this week expands on ceremonial and civic historical legacy, but some elements need further clarification.

“Retaining Hastings’ Cinque Ports status is a priority for the council.

“Once the shadow unitary authority is in place following elections in May 2027, it will be for the shadow authority / new authority to consider whether to undertake a Community Governance Review process.”

Long-serving Labour Councillor Trevor Webb, the Father of the House, says he is “aghast” at the “gross negligence” of the Green-led HBC and its “failure to understand the consequences of what the abolition of the council and Mayor in 2028 actually means.” He says the only way Hastings can save its Cinque Port status is by establishing a Charter Trust or a Town Council but believes the latter option has already been left too late by HBC. “We cannot allow 1,000 years of our history to sink without a trace because of negligence and incompetence.”

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.

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 shock announcement was made last Friday evening (24 July) at the start of the peak summer holiday season. The closure only affects the skatepark, which will remain shut until at least 2027. The hospitality businesses in the Courtyard will remain open as usual.

The Foreshore Trust, which owns the land on which the Source Park sits on behalf of Hastings Borough Council, has allocated £1.5m for emergency repair work to prevent water ingress and work to the concrete structures around the Source Park and Courtyard and the promenade in the immediate area. The tender process to find a contractor will start later this summer, and it is envisaged that the first phase of work should be completed in 2027, with further work taking over two to three years to complete in a phased approach. 

The closure, which came without warning, has drawn sharp criticism from former Hastings Borough Councillor Judy Rogers, who questioned why action was not taken sooner. She said: “It has been known for some time that this work was needed, so I would question why it has been left till the point when a forced closure is necessary at a point in the year when we have the most visitors in town and it’s school summer holidays.”

The Source Park was opened in 2016, on the site of what was once a Turkish baths complex built in the 1870s. It sits below sea-level and has always had maintenance problems with dampness and water ingress. 

In March, as part of the perpetual battle against the elements, the Foreshore Trust agreed to allocate £50,000 to prepare a tender pack to identify the scale of the works needed to address water ingress from the promenade and concrete repair works, including the “removal of loose or potentially dangerous areas within the main skate park” and to prepare tender documentation for future works.

At a meeting of Hastings Borough Council’s Charity Committee on 22 June, Kate Darbyshire, the Foreshore Trust Manager, presented councillors with a report setting out plans to allocate up to £1.5m over three years to undertake the repair in phased stages. They were told that a “phased approach would minimise disruption to tenants while allowing the effectiveness of the initial remedial works to be assessed before progressing to further internal repairs.”

The phased approach to the repair works was abandoned, however, following the discovery of “falling concrete and crumbling fire exits” as reported by the Source Park owners on Facebook, which prompted the Foreshore Trust to close the skatepark immediately. A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Safeguarding this key asset is a priority, and it is unfortunate that the required work means the park must close for a period of time. We apologise that the closure has come at such short notice; this is due to health and safety concerns at the park that made it necessary to close immediately.”

The closure of the skatepark has also forced the postponement of the popular Battle of Hastings BMX event, originally scheduled for September. The event organisers say the competition will now take place in 2027, with a new date to be confirmed once the repair schedule has been finalised.

Responding to concerns about pre-paid memberships of the skatepark, Source Park posted on Facebook that they “will contact everyone with memberships in due course.”

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 Club as an honorary member . The visit was designed to highlight the vital work of local youth organisations and community-driven groups.

The royal visit began with Prince William descending from the East Hill funicular railway where he was greeted by a crowd of well-wishers. His first official stop was with local fishermen where he climbed aboard the Senlac Jack and chatted with crew members about the struggles of the town’s historic beach-launched boats. He listened attentively as skipper Roland Kelly told him about the problems of overfishing by large EU trawlers, the complexities of fishing quotas, and the impact of warming sea temperatures on the fishing industry. He later toured the iconic wooden net shops.

On a lighter note, the Prince was inducted into the Winkle Club as an honorary member. The local charitable organisation was founded by fishermen in 1900 to support families in need, and past members include his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, Sir Winston Churchill, and Field Marshal Lord Montgomery.

Prince William was given a silver winkle as a token of his lifetime membership and was told that members of the club, known as ‘Winklers’ must carry their shell at all times and that failure to present it on demand when challenged to “Winkle Up” would result in a fine. He accepted the responsibility with a smile and promised to “take good care of my winkle”.

The next stop was a visit to Eagle House, where the Prince chatted with young people and volunteers who use the space as a youth club and gathering place. The building is owned by Hastings Commons which aims to transform some of the town’s historic and neglected buildings by turning them into shared homes, workspaces and hubs of social support that are owned and run by the community.

Later in the day, William headed to the Hastings Adventure Miniature Golf, meeting  young people supported by the local youth charity XTrax and enjoyed a round of crazy golf. At almost exactly the same time Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex – William’s estranged brother and his family – were meeting their father, the King, 160 miles away at Highgrove

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: “I know from speaking to many groups that funding has been very tight. 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 and to apply, visit: https://www.hastings.gov.uk/sport_play/leisure-grants-programme/

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 costs related to the increases in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the National Living Wage. Add in the sharp rise in energy bills and food inflation because of the war in Iran and it is unsurprising that many small businesses are not just struggling but now fighting for their very survival.

In the face of the extremely tough trading conditions, several local pub owners report they are considering reducing midweek opening hours. Many independent cafés and restaurants already do not open midweek, and those that do often close early when business is particularly slow. As a result, the Old Town and the seafront can often resemble a ghost town between Monday and Thursday with shuttered shop fronts and few pedestrians.

Bill Stacey, who runs the Donut Man at the historic Pelham Arcade, blames the cost-of-living crisis for sharply altering how day tourists to Hastings spend their money. Where once visitors would buy up to six doughnuts each, he says they now pick up just one or two, or skip the purchase entirely. “People simply have less money to spend on simple seaside treats,” he notes. Stacey would like the local council and the Foreshore Trust to cut the cost of seafront parking, so as to encourage day visitors to stay longer in the town and spend a little more on traditional treats like doughnuts, ice cream, and fish and chips.

Kim Duke, the owner of the Tonka Restaurant on Marine Parade, agrees that seafront parking charges are “much too high” and believes they discourage families from lingering beyond a few hours. But what angers her even more is the controversial decision of Hastings Borough Council (HBC) to withdraw from the 1066 Country Marketing partnership in early 2023. The council pulled its £50,000 annual contribution, citing the need to make budgetary savings amid wider financial pressures. The move provoked significant local backlash, particularly as no alternative marketing arrangements were put in place to fill the void.

Kim believes HBC’s failure to actively promote Hastings leaves potential day visitors unaware of what the town has to offer. “People don’t know we’re here beyond the pier and the ruins,” she says. In her view, the absence of targeted campaigns means that Hastings loses out to neighbouring towns like Eastbourne or Rye, which continue to market themselves effectively. For independent businesses already squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis, she argues, the lack of promotion is an added blow that makes every quiet midweek feel even emptier.

The government has acknowledged challenges facing local hospitality businesses and unveiled support measures, such as targeted business rates relief for pubs and live music venues, and lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with rateable values below £500,000.

HBC has announced a new programme of investment designed to strengthen and grow the town’s tourism economy. There are also ambitious plans to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Normans and the return of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years. In addition, the council is funding a new Strategic Tourism Lead role as part of a shared services agreement with Eastbourne and Lewes; and a new Visit Hastings website will be launched in the coming months, giving visitors an easy way to discover events and activities happening across the town.

The recent Jack-in-the-Green celebrations gave a much-needed boost to local trade, but a single busy weekend cannot mask the reality – that without further help and support, some of our most cherished pubs, restaurants, cafés and shops will simply not survive.

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 response, Hastings Borough Council now appears poised to take action to address the state of this eyesore.

Oasis Developments Hastings Ltd were granted planning permission to build 14 apartments, six holiday lets and four shops on the 39-41 George Street site last year. However, despite repeated assurances, construction work has still not started.

At an informal meeting before Christmas, the council made it clear to the developer that the prolonged delay in progressing the planning permission and associated legal agreement was “unacceptable”. The leader of the council, senior officers, and the borough solicitor secured a commitment to improve the appearance of the site immediately, including the removal of vegetation and graffiti, and to upgrade the hoardings with visualisations of the proposed development.

No such work has been undertaken, however, and the entrance to George Street remains an eyesore.

The lack of progress on the site has united the council leadership, local traders, and residents in their frustration over the developer’s failure to deliver on its commitments. The Council Leader, Cllr Glenn Haffenden, said residents and businesses are “right to be frustrated by how long this has dragged on”. This view was echoed by Cllr Julia Hilton, the Deputy Leader of the Council and ward councillor for Old Hastings.

The frustration has now boiled over, and the council is preparing to take a much harder line with the developer to require that the improvements are made. Unlike in December, when the council wrote to the owner requesting that necessary works be carried out voluntarily, the council has now begun the formal planning enforcement process by issuing a Section 215 notice requiring the owner to address the condition of the site.

Under the terms of the formal notice issued under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the owner has ten working days to respond and a minimum of 28 days to clean up the site. Failure to do so is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution and fines.

Cllr Julia Hilton acknowledged that the lack of visible progress is “understandably disappointing” for residents. However, she stressed that the council must follow the correct legal processes.

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 this year. The announcement follows months of campaigning by local MP Helena Dollimore.

The historic 70-metre medieval masterpiece, depicting the Norman Conquest of 1066, is returning to England for the first time in nearly 1,000 years. It will be exhibited in London from September 2026 to July 2027.

Ms Dollimore began campaigning for priority exhibition access for local children shortly after the loan of the tapestry to Britain was announced by the Prime Minister last July. Her campaign won the support of broadcaster David Dimbleby, a 1066 Country resident, and historian Dan Snow, who co-signed her letter to British Museum Chairman and former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

Speaking in Parliament, the MP said: “1066 is etched into our national consciousness, and the Battle of Hastings was a defining moment in British history that continues to shape who we are today. A millennium later, the clash between the Saxons and the Normans still resonates across our land. In fact, Hastings and the surrounding area is known as ‘1066 Country’, so inseparable is our identity from the events immortalised in the Bayeux Tapestry.”

The Culture Minister, Ian Murray, congratulated Ms Dollimore on her “tenacious campaigning”. He confirmed that the British Museum had agreed to free priority tickets for local schools, “reflecting the salience of the area to the events of 1066, and the huge local interest”.

Ms Dollimore welcomed the “fantastic news”. She said she had been “lucky to go to local state schools and then study history at university. Who knows who we could inspire by allowing schoolchildren to see the exhibition? The Bayeux Tapestry quite literally wove Hastings into our national history. I am looking forward to children from 1066 Country being able to see it and feel pride in knowing that the story it tells began in the place they call home.”

Not content with securing priority booking for free tickets, the MP has launched a new campaign calling on the British Museum to reserve 1,066 tickets exclusively for local residents, and to support the travel costs of those children going to the exhibition to ensure access is not determined by how well-off local schools are. “My challenge to the British Museum is for it to live up to its name and to truly be the museum of Britain and ensure that young people from Hastings and 1066 Country get to visit the exhibition.”

Tickets for the exhibition go on sale from 1 July.

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 on Priory Road. The centre, which has been closed for over seven years, had been listed for sale by the Trust for an eye-watering £650,000, despite having been gifted to charity to provide personalised, community-based day services and support for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and autism. 

The Parchment Trust confirmed it had reached an agreement with a “fantastic new owner” for The Bridge following discussions that began in December. While the identity of the new owner remains unknown “due to commercial sensitivities”, the Trust revealed that two “incredible charities” are involved in the takeover, both of which are said to be fully committed to upholding the existing covenants requiring The Bridge to be used for community benefit.

The announcement follows a period of uncertainty for the much-loved community asset. The Parchment Trust took on The Bridge in 2018 as part of a vision to expand its services to “create the UKs first community centre run by disabled people for the benefit of the whole community”. The aim was to “provide valuable work experience for disabled people, and a wonderful resource for everyone to connect, learn and benefit from time together”.

However, these plans were never realised, and the building remained closed for several years. The charity secured full ownership of the community centre in March 2024, following what it described as “an extremely lengthy and complicated transfer process involving several parties”.

Upon taking full ownership, the Trust again set out ambitious plans and promised to invest significant funds to renovate the centre with the aim of opening to the public by summer 2025. These plans similarly came to nothing.

Late last year the Parchment Trust announced it “could not continue with the renovation and operation of The Bridge without jeopardising its core services” and barely a year after being gifted ownership of the building listed it for sale for £650,000.

The decision provoked outrage, uniting the local Labour MP, the Conservative-led East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and the Green-led Hastings Borough Council – all of whom vehemently opposed the sale. The county council even went as far as to threaten legal action to block any sale because of a Deed of Covenant on the building which obliges the Parchment Trust to use and manage the property for the benefit of the community within the Ore Valley area in Hastings and to ensure that the property is open to the public for at least 20 hours during a week. ESCC insisted that the deed would cover any subsequent purchaser, who would be required to enter into a deed on similar terms.

The Parchment Trust defended its actions stating that the sale process had been “guided by a Charities Act Valuation”. The organisation said they had rejected approaches from unsuitable parties, including from property developers, who were not seen as capable of or committed to fulfilling the community covenants.

The legal process is expected to be completed within the next three months, with all parties “fully committed” and “working at speed” to finalise the transfer, but with no mention of the price paid for the building.

Cllr Julia Hilton, the Deputy Leader of Hastings Borough Council and Lead Councillor for Shaping Place said it was “really good news that this great building that was built with public money will be back in use for the community as soon as possible”.

Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings and Rye said she was “delighted that a great local charity will be taking over the Bridge and ensuring this space remains open for community use”. The MP said she had raised the issue in Parliament, and had had “helpful discussions with local charities, with the Charity Commission and local councils to help ensure the future of the Bridge is secured”.

PAUL MCLAUGHLIN

Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved draft budget plans, including a 2.99% council tax increase for residents from April. This is the maximum rise allowed by the government without triggering a local referendum. The increase will bring the total annual bill for an average Band D property in Hastings to over £2,600.

Chief Finance Officer Kit Wheeler presented the Revenue Budget 2026/27, and Capital Programme 2026/27 to 2028/29 to senior councillors last Monday (2 February). He reported that the council’s financial position had “improved significantly” when compared to recent years. He praised the efforts of staff and councillors who had worked hard and made real sacrifices to cut costs and put staff vacancies on hold to make savings. 

He acknowledged that austerity measures, imposed on the council three years ago by the previous government to avoid a Section 114 notice to prevent bankruptcy, had affected the delivery of local services. However, he insisted this was a “necessary part of our process to achieve our goal of financial sustainability.” The council’s reserves are expected to increase from just £4m – the minimum level considered necessary to withstand significant financial shocks – to “hover currently at about the £7m mark.” 

The council’s budgetary pressures stem primarily from spiralling costs in the housing budget. Cabinet members were warned just last month of a predicted overspend of around £700,000 in the next financial year due to providing temporary accommodation (TA). This month, however, Chris Hancock, the Head of Housing, told Cabinet that more recent figures indicated a much-improved position, with 28 households moving out of private temporary accommodation into their own homes because of the council’s property acquisition policy. He added that he hoped to see sustained progress over the coming year, with a target of up to eight households a month leaving private temporary accommodation and moving into a permanent home.

Mr Hancock also highlighted the council’s work on homelessness prevention. He told the Cabinet that they were on track to spend around £193,000 less than it had budgeted for by the end of the current financial year.

Cllr Darren Mackenzie, the Finance, Risk and ICT Portfolio Holder, welcomed the improved budgetary position and thanked officers for their “incredible efforts”. Cllr Glenn Haffenden, the Council Leader, echoed the sentiments before adding that the budget proposals would “likely” see further changes before being signed off at a meeting of Full Council on 11 February.

East Sussex County Council will meet to set its 2026/27 budget on 10 February, where councillors are expected to confirm a council tax rise of 4.99%. This is made up of 2.99% on council tax and 2% on the Adult Social Care Precept.

Of your council tax income, over 73% goes to East Sussex County Council, around 13% to Hastings Borough Council, and 11% to the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.

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 new safety standards.

Maria Dennis began campaigning after her 11-year-old son, Harry, was killed in December 2022. Harry died when an unsecured scaffolding board fell from a flatbed truck and struck the car he was travelling in with his father in Hooe, East Sussex.

Maria set up a petition calling for better safety standards in the scaffolding industry and the stricter enforcement of unsecured load regulations, better driver education and improved industry maintenance standards. She collected over 2,000 signatures and, with the help of local MP Helena Dollimore, she presented her petition to Parliament in January.

The Minister for Local Transport, Lilian Greenwood, met Maria and praised her “bravery” and the “sustained focus” of her campaign. She also confirmed that the Government had implemented major new safety standards “in direct response” to her campaign. These include the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) trialling a programme to enforce offences and defects relating to insecure loads. Since the start of the operation, DVSA has identified over 4,000 vehicle defects and offences, including 307 related to load security.

Helena Dollimore said she too has been “greatly inspired by Maria’s bravery” and that her “determination will raise awareness so other families do not have to endure this agony.”

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 Sports Complex in St Leonards. He was there to deliver a speech ostensibly launching the new Pride in Place initiative, but the assembled premier league press pack were there to report on a very different story.

The Prime Minister was introduced by Kevin Boorman in his role as Chair of the Hastings Neighbourhood Board, the body that will decide how the £20m allocated to Hastings will be spent under the Pride of Place initiative.

Mr Boorman retired as a Council officer in 2023 after more than a quarter of a century of service to the town, and he recounted how his Great Uncle George Moon was cox of the Hastings lifeboat Cyril and Lilian Bishop, which was used to evacuate troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.

In opening his speech, the Prime Minister thanked Kevin, “or I should address you as Mr Hastings” for giving his “heart and soul” to the service of the town. He also went on to praise Bernard Stonestreet for his “24 years of distinguished service in the Royal Marines” and for his “tireless works for Sussex and for Hastings”, including opening the East Sussex Veterans’ Hub on Robertson Street and helping homeless veterans who have fallen on hard times.

The Prime Minister went on to confront head-on the contentious appointment of Lord Mandelson as US Ambassador – the issue now threatening to derail his premiership. He repeated his claim that the former ambassador deceived him regarding the Epstein connection and insisted he had “no reason to disbelieve him” initially.

Sir Keir Starmer apologised directly to the Epstein victims who, he said, “have lived with the trauma that most of us can barely comprehend, and they have had to relive it again and again.” He went on to say that he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.”

He added: “I also want to say this: in this country, we will not look away, we will not shrug our shoulders, and we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional. We will pursue the truth. We will uphold the integrity of public life, and we will do everything within our power and in the interests of justice to ensure accountability is delivered. That is what the public expects. That is what the victims deserve, and it is what I will do.”

Turning to the reason for his visit to Hastings, the launch of the new Pride in Place initiative, the Prime Minister said the programme would “help disadvantaged areas across the country empower local communities to revitalise their high streets, manage derelict assets, and boost local pride.”

The Prime Minister concluded his speech referencing all local heroes, who make a “huge difference, and change how we feel about our town, our future, and even our country. Through their examples, each of us can look out of the window and see that people care. Wouldn’t politics be better if we truly backed that kind of pride?”

Under the Pride in Place plans, residents can apply to join the independent board that will help decide how to spend £20m in funding for the town over the next decade. The board’s chair, Kevin Boorman, is currently looking to recruit “passionate, community-minded individuals” to review and approve local projects which “genuinely reflect our communities” and “help shape a Hastings for everyone.”

Local MP Helena Dollimore described the government’s Pride in Place fund as a “once in a generation opportunity to change our town for the better”, sentiments echoed by Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of Hastings BC and lead councillor for shaping places and local government reorganisation. She said she wanted the neighbourhood board to “reflect the full diversity and experience of our town.” She added that she was “particularly keen to hear from people from minority ethnic backgrounds and from residents with lived experience of the challenges many in Hastings face every day.” 

Residents interested in joining the Board need to complete a short application form and submit it by Thursday 19 February 2026. For more information and to apply:

hastings.gov.uk/regeneration/pride-in-place/new-board-members

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 Government, Steve Reed, made the announcement in a House of Commons Statement last Thursday (22 January) in which he told MPs that the elections, which were due to be held on 7 May, will now be held in 2027 instead.

The decision drew criticism from all the opposition parties in Parliament. Reform UK, which is leading in national opinion polls and would be expected to make significant gains in the elections, attacked the plans as “harmful to democratic principles” and they are seeking to overturn the decision in the law courts.

The case will be heard by a High Court judge at a two-day hearing scheduled for 19-20 February. Whilst the Government is confident the legal challenge will be defeated, Mr Reed said it would “not be appropriate” for him to comment on the proceedings.

He explained the election delay was a direct result of what he called “the most ambitious reorganisation of council structures in a generation.” To “accelerate preparations for this essential overhaul,” he confirmed the postponement of elections in Sussex and 25 other council areas across England, most of them Labour-controlled.

Under the local government reform (LGR) plans, all existing councils in Sussex will be abolished and replaced with up to five new unitary authorities. For Hastings, two options are proposed: One East Sussex, a single council for the entire county, or a Coastal Unitary Authority combining Hastings, Eastbourne, and Bexhill.

CLAIMED BENEFITS

Mr. Reed said: “It is very important that LGR be delivered with as much speed as we can muster because of the benefits to local residents, who will see more money available to spend on things like fixing potholes and caring for older people – rather than paying for two sets of councillors, two sets of chief execs and two sets of finance directors. That is wasting tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.”

Whilst opposition parties in Parliament strongly attacked the plans, the position locally is somewhat different. In a joint statement issued before Christmas, the Greens, Labour, Conservatives and Hastings Independents agreed that holding elections “would likely divert attention from critical reorganisation work…Political leaders needed to be fully focused on getting the best deal for Hastings out of the reorganisation process.” 

They also raised concerns about the financial cost of an election when council budgets are already tight. 

UNCERTAINTY

But Reform UK’s legal challenge has created uncertainty within local politics. Councillors who were due to stand down now find themselves serving an indefinite extension of their mandates, regardless of public or personal preference. Prospective candidates and local parties have been left in a state of campaign limbo, unable to plan or mobilise their teams of local canvassers, while not knowing if the elections will go ahead.

Meanwhile, council officers, charged with facilitating a smooth transition to the new unitary authority, whatever option the Government eventually chooses, must still allocate resources to election preparations in case the legal challenge is successful. This divided focus makes it less likely that Hastings BC or East Sussex CC will realise any cost savings for local taxpayers that the election postponement was intended to achieve.

It is ordinary voters, however, who will feel the impact of the local election shenanigans most acutely. The postponement arguably strips communities of tangible choices on crucial local issues – be it potholes, bus fares or housing insecurities. It also reinforces a deepening sense that voting really doesn’t matter, further entrenching the very apathy and disconnection that LGR ostensibly seeks to address.

The inaugural Sussex Mayoral vote is already delayed by two years, and fundamental details of the new unitary authority are yet to be announced. Yet ministers insist the new council will be operational for the 2027 local elections. Given its track record so far, voters may well see this as an aspiration rather than a firm policy commitment. 

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, traced to the Grand Pera Restaurant on the ground floor, led to sixteen people requiring medical attention and the declaration of a major incident.

The East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service was alerted by the Southern Gas Network and responded to the restaurant just before 6.45pm. To facilitate the response, police closed the A259 seafront road.

Fire crews searched and evacuated sixteen flats on one side of the complex. Some required forced entry to confirm they were empty. Fourteen occupants were triaged by the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), which recommended hospital checks for all. Eight refused and remained on scene, while six were taken to Conquest Hospital for treatment. Due to the number of casualties and the impact on hospital resources, SECAmb declared a major incident at around 9pm.

The source was quickly identified as a diesel generator being used by the Grand Pera Restaurant. The generator was isolated, the property ventilated and the building was declared safe for residents to return by 10pm.

It was later revealed the restaurant had installed the generator in Harold Place to power refrigerators after its electricity supply was disconnected by E.on. The disconnection was due to the failure to pay an outstanding bill of over £66,000. The generator is understood to have been running continuously for three to five days prior to the incident.

Hastings Borough Council on-call officers assisted with the evacuation. With support from the Local Authority Emergency Planning Officer, rehousing plans were prepared but ultimately not required. The building’s managing agents secured the property and arranged to contact any absent residents who had been exposed, advising them to seek medical checks. Emergency services left the scene around midnight.

Sue Mitchell, owner of the nearby Pebble Beach Spa, was among those evacuated after being called to re-open her premises for the response effort. She was only allowed to return once CO levels normalised.

The Council’s environmental health team has announced an investigation. This comes after local residents claimed they had made numerous complaints to the department over the past six months regarding suspicious smells and other concerns since Grand Pera took over the tenancy, alleging they never received a response.

When approached by HIP, Hastings Borough Council stated it was “limited in what we can say because there’s an investigation on-going,” declining to comment on the number of complaints or prior inaction.

Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings, Rye and the villages, thanked the emergency services and said her thoughts were with affected residents. She welcomed the council’s investigation, stating any lessons must be learned, and urged everyone to ensure they have a working carbon monoxide alarm. “This invisible gas can be a silent killer without one,” she said.

The Grand Pera reopened last Friday (12 December) after an Environmental Health inspection. The electricity had been reinstated and the generator removed. The investigation into the carbon monoxide leak is ongoing.

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 Glenn Haffenden said the “ambitious” strategy was “achievable with a considerable push”, with its main goals being to dramatically boost affordable housing supply and improve the safety and security of existing homes. He emphasised the need for a concerted effort from all housing partners and, crucially, support from central government.

The strategy directly links the town’s acute housing pressures – including high deprivation, low incomes, and a critical shortage of affordable rents – to the parallel statutory Local Plan. An upcoming consultation on the Plan in early 2026 provides a pivotal opportunity – and a challenge – to align new home locations with the strategy’s social objectives.

Homelessness Pressure

The strategy is informed by a detailed independent homelessness review, revealing a system under immense strain. While annual homeless applications have remained stable at around 1,100, the number of households in privately procured temporary accommodation (TA) has doubled since 2021. As of late October, 535 households were in such placements, with an additional 124 in council-owned properties.

The most recent rough sleeper count across Hastings and St Leonards identified 29 individuals, with the council aware of eight more regular rough sleepers.

Public Consultation

The council undertook a near 12-month public consultation to develop the strategy with a series of events and meetings held across the town. This was led by a steering group with a wide range of housing expertise, including private developers, landlords, social housing providers, property managers and housing and homelessness campaigners, as well as social housing and private rental tenants.

The extensive public consultation led to several key amendments to the draft strategy. These included residents demanding a clearer definition of ‘affordable housing’, stronger action on short-term lets, and explicit links to the Local Plan. There was also strong support for community-led housing, increasing accessible homes, tackling empty properties, and ending rough sleeping.

The council also used this period of consultation to address what it termed the “misconceptions about the role of immigration” on housing pressures, highlighting instead structural issues like the Local Housing Allowance, which has not been increased by the government since 2011 and is often 40% lower than average local rents.

A Five-Pillar Action Plan

The strategy has five core priorities:

Building the Homes We Need:

The strategy sets a major expansion of social rented housing as its top priority. Achieving this, however, is contingent on the council successfully lobbying for government capital funding. In parallel, the council plans to activate a long-delayed empty homes strategy to repurpose vacant properties.

End Rough Sleeping and Homelessness:

A central aim is to drastically reduce the numbers of rough sleepers in the town and cut the use of TA in half by 2030. TA cost the council £7.8 million in 2024-25, almost a third of its entire budget. The council will continue to push the government to increase the Local Housing Allowance rate, arguing that an increase in the LHA rate could inject an estimated £1.4 million into local coffers.

Key actions include delivering the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP), which will provide 25 new homes with support within the borough to prevent rough sleeping. A new homelessness forum is planned to unite partners to shape future services, while volunteer recruitment will be expanded to offer personalised support for those moving out of homelessness. The council also vows to continue lobbying for essential multi-year government funding.

Fixing the Rented Sector:

With over 30% of homes in some wards being private rentals and a high concentration of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), Hastings faces an acute challenge. The borough has one of the Southeast’s highest rates of ‘non-decent’ homes, often older properties with poor energy efficiency.

The incoming Renters Reform Act is expected to have a “big impact”, offering greater tenant stability by ending Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions, limiting rent increases to once a year, and strengthening anti-discrimination rules. The council will actively monitor local letting agency practices and act against breaches and create a new “local housing association compact” to act as a “critical friend,” challenging associations to improve tenant satisfaction, meet decent home standards, and resolve issues like damp and mould faster.

Housing for Health and Independence:

The strategy recognises housing as being “at the heart of almost every form of inequality.” It commits to ensuring a range of housing that allows people to receive support at home, rather than having to move. In a stark admission, the council notes there is currently no refuge provision in Hastings for victims of domestic abuse, a gap it pledges to fill. The council also highlights its effective use of Disability Facility Grants, which funded 240 adaptations last year at a cost of £1.95 million.

Greener, Climate-Resilient Homes:

With Hastings highly vulnerable to coastal flooding, the strategy recognises the need to build climate resilience into the planning system. The goal is for everyone to live in a well-insulated, affordably heated home. The council will support the development of a forthcoming East Sussex-wide retrofit strategy and promote greater access to warm home checks for residents.

The Hastings Housing Strategy represents a comprehensive attempt to tackle deep-rooted housing problems. Whilst no one can doubt the commitment of all those who have contributed to the process, its success will depend on two critical factors: securing increased, sustained funding from central government and a consensus by local politicians as to both the number and, most contentiously, the location of new homes. The Housing Strategy is expected to be approved by Full Council at its next meeting on 14 January 2026.

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 at Old Roar Ghyll and between the Bo Peep pub and Marina Church destroyed homes and infrastructure, leaving deep financial and emotional scars on the community.

The scale of landslide damage along the south coast is immense, demanding a coordinated response from national government, local councils and insurers. Yet affected communities often feel abandoned, left alone to piece together their shattered lives.

This looks as if it is about to change, however. On Monday 8 December, a group of Hastings residents and other interested parties gathered on The Green opposite 76-84 West Hill Road, St Leonards for their first physical intervention in tackling the problems of landslides in the town. This was the first step in a bold plan by newly formed Community Interest Company HASTE (Hydraulic Activity Stabilisation Training Enterprise) to install a network of sensors to monitor the cliff system.

It was the culmination of two years of behind-the-scenes work putting together the necessary expertise, getting the local community on board working to ensure that there would be the political will to support this bold community vision.

“This is what community resilience looks like in practice,” says Ben Ramsden, HASTE Coordinator. “We’ve spent two years analysing historical data, building partnerships and planning carefully. Now we’re putting sensors in the ground that will act as an early warning system – helping us to understand where the risks are and figure out how to bring back stability to our cliff.”

The event on Monday was a testament to those partnerships. Bexhill College was represented by 23 students from the Geology Department, Hastings Borough Council by Glenn Haffenden (Leader of the council) along with Land Stability Project Manager, Sarah Tye and Mark Stanley of local firm Thingitude, a consultancy and training company that helps the public sector understand the potential of ‘smart city’ technology. Installation of the sensors was carried out by local company In Situ Site Investigation Ltd.

The monitoring installation is being provided free to the community through the partnership with In Situ and Thingitude and with funding from Sussex Resilience Forum. HASTE is hoping to demonstrate the benefits of collaboration between professional specialists and local residents who understand that protecting their homes requires collective action.

Darren Ward, CEO of In Situ Site Investigation, explains his involvement: “This is about giving back to the community I grew up in. We have the specialist equipment and expertise to help understand what’s happening beneath these cliffs, and if that knowledge can help protect people’s homes, then we want to be part of it.”

Cllr Haffenden agrees that from the council perspective, this is a great example of what can be achieved when the council and community work together. “HASTE has shown real initiative in tackling a challenge that affects hundreds of local homes, and we’re proud to support their innovative approach,” he says.

And it’s not just Hastings Borough Council who are interested in this initiative. Following the first stages of sensor installation on West Hill, Ben Ramsden was off to Westminster to join local MP Helena Dolimore to meet representatives from 56 councils at the Local Government Association’s Coastal Special Interest Group and present HASTE’s community-led approach as a potential template for other at-risk areas. On Monday 15 December a second visit was an opportunity to discuss HASTE’s plans with the Under-Secretary of State for Water, Emma Hardy.

The next project phase involves partnering with an engineering firm to design a stabilisation plan for the entire mile-long cliff. Following this, the work will focus on training local workers and securing the necessary funding to execute the repairs. This is the action plan which will be presented to the water minister.

Anyone with skills or resources who would like to support the project should contact makehaste2025@gmail.com. To read a BBC article about the project visit bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjrj0ll2x1ro. To watch watch a BBC South report visit WhatsApp Video 2025-12-11 at 16.27.06.mp4 – Google Drive

The Technical Picture

HASTE is deploying a multi-sensor network combining piezometers (which measure groundwater pressure – a critical precursor to slope failure), accelerometers and tilt sensors (detecting movement at sub-centimetre precision) and weather stations (correlating rainfall with ground conditions).

The team will also survey existing boreholes along the cliff system to identify which remain in suitable condition for additional sensor deployment. This ‘intelligent reuse’ of existing infrastructure dramatically reduces costs while accelerating coverage. 

The goal is to install monitoring points strategically across the entire cliff area to understand how weather events affect different zones – and to identify any areas showing warning signs and develop solutions before they become dangerous.

Traditional engineering consultancy approaches to monitoring this scale of risk would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. HASTE’s community-led model, with professional engineering oversight, delivers the same capability at a fraction of the cost – and builds local expertise in the process.

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, defeating Paula Warne of the Greens who came second with 25% (607).

The Conservatives came third with 20% (494), pushing Labour into fourth with 16% (395).

The Liberal Democrats took 5% (129) with the Independent candidate trailing in last with 2% (55).

The voter turnout was a disappointing 30.88%.

Aidan Fisher is the first Reform UK councillor to be elected to ESCC. He is an investment banker and lives in Winchelsea.

The by-election followed the death in September of Peter Pragnell, who won the seat for the Conservatives in 2021 with almost 60% of the vote.

Following the by-election, East Sussex County Council has:

• Conservative – 24
• Liberal Democrats – 12
• Labour – 5
• Green – 5
• Independent Democrats – 2
• Independents – 1
• Reform UK – 1

The Conservatives run the council as a minority administration.

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. With the cancellation of this year’s county council elections, this vote is the first chance for residents to deliver a verdict on the minority Conservative-led administration’s performance. The emergence of Reform UK, which is aiming to win its first seat in the county, has further elevated the contest from a routine local affair into a high-stakes referendum for all parties involved.

Traditionally a safe Tory seat, Ashdown and Conquest is now considered highly marginal. While Peter Pragnell secured 60% of the vote in 2021, the “Party-Gate” scandal under Boris Johnson and the tumultuous premiership of Liz Truss caused a sharp decline in Conservative fortunes.

The party, which is braced for a further slide in support in November, have chosen Caroline Kerswell, a Solicitor Advocate and former barrister as their candidate. In her professional career she has advised major financial institutions, fintech innovators and global regulators. Now living in St Leonards, she says she wants to “bring integrity, professionalism and problem-solving back into local government”.

Reform UK’s candidate, Aidan Fisher, is a former Territorial Army Officer with a background in financial services. He states that he “understands the importance of discipline, accountability, and sensible spending,” adding that he is “deeply concerned” about the state of council finances and local services.

Labour’s candidate Amanda Pollard is a healthcare campaigner who has spent much of her career working in the NHS and the Sussex Ambulance Service. She vows to “hold the Council to account for the Queensway Gateway fiasco, stand up for NHS workers and patients in our community, push for better playgrounds for our children and work to improve standards in education.”

The Green Party candidate is Paula Warne, the Hastings Borough Councillor for Gensing. Before her election, she worked as an inspector for East Sussex Highways and now works in adult mental health support. As Hastings’ Mental Health Champion, she campaigns to improve services and reduce stigma. She has the backing of the Hastings Independents Group (HIGs), which is not fielding its own candidate. The group endorsed Warne as the best candidate to defeat Reform UK, stating that supporting her is essential to protect the area’s “tolerant tradition”.

The Liberal Democrats have again selected semi-retired business advisor Martin Griffiths. He contested the seat in 2021 taking just 8.7% of the vote. Despite this, he believes his party is best placed to defeat Reform UK and expose their “false promises.”

HIP’s data analyst James Prentice writes:

The Ashdown and Conquest by-election is likely to be a very tight contest. Based on national figures compiled by the election prediction specialists, Electoral Calculus, Reform UK is a narrow favourite to win with a 42.2% chance of winning, just ahead of Labour at 41.8%. It calculates this through machine learning, something that uses a statistical algorithm to make projections. This specific methodology uses national polling trends to infer localised results, with it being possible to predict local council ward results. Crucially, this carries the caveat that local election results can vary using this method, and it can’t take into account local factors, such as a popular local candidate.

Since 2021, Labour has been the main beneficiary of the sharp decline in Tory support, but its own experience in government is now taking a toll. Unlike in 2024, the party cannot rely on a split of the right-of-centre coalition to pave the way to victory. Labour may need progressive voters, such as Greens and Lib-Dems, to ensure its vote share will be high enough to beat Reform.

In contrast, Reform UK is now riding high. They are gathering not just disaffected Conservatives but disgruntled Labour supporters, too. The Greens, with the backing of the HIGs, are also making in-roads into Labour’s core vote, particularly since Zack Polanski’s election as Leader.

The election in Ashdown and Conquest will be a volatile race, with it being possible for a candidate to win on as little as 30% of the vote on what will likely be a small turnout. The winner will likely be determined not by their own popularity, but by where disaffected voters place their support.

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, has been listed for sale for £650,000.

HIP reported in July that the Trust was closing the centre for good, citing the government’s increase in National Insurance contributions and minimum wage levels introduced in last year’s Budget, combined with a lack of financial support for charities and other state-funded adult social care providers, meant they were unable to continue with the plans to renovate the centre.

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, the Leader of Hastings Borough Council, said he was “shocked” that the building, which was “funded by public money and gifted to the Parchment Trust, is now being sold for £650,000”. He noted several community organisations had been interested in the building for temporary use and that the council had approached the Trust earlier this summer to request community access to the top floor, which would have finally reopened the building. None of these organisations would be able to raise this amount of money, he said.

The Council Leader added: “It is hard to understand how the Parchment Trust have reached this decision without reaching out to either Hastings Borough Council or East Sussex County Council at an early stage when they realised it was becoming difficult to find a way to open the building.” 

Cllr Julia Hilton, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Shaping Place, said the council would “ensure the covenants on the building are properly enforced, that should guarantee this building has a community use.” The Parchment Trust,” she added, “are already in breach of this covenant as the building has remained closed since finally transferring to their ownership.” 

The Parchment Trust has been one of the key providers of services to disabled adults in Hastings for over 30 years. Its work includes the Friary Gardeners horticultural nursery at Ore Place and a daycare co-operative at Theaklen Drive.

The decision to take on The Bridge in 2018 was part of a vision to expand the Trust’s services to “create the UKs first community centre run by disabled people for the benefit of the whole community.” The aim was to “provide valuable work experience for disabled people, and a wonderful resource for everyone to connect, learn and benefit from time together.”

The charity only gained full ownership of the community centre in March 2024, following what it says was “an extremely lengthy and complicated transfer process involving several parties.” Upon taking ownership, the Trust said it developed a plan, in consultation with the local community, to invest significant funds in essential repairs, and began raising money to renovate the top floor, with the aim of opening to the public by summer 2025.

However, following the “significant” Budget increase in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage which came into force in April, the Trust claimed, it “could not continue with the renovation and operation of The Bridge without jeopardising its core services. The financial pressure was the final straw after years of squeezed funding from central government for adult social care.”

The charity’s annual report shows an increase in annual turnover from £3.4m in July 2023 to £4.3m the following year and a corresponding increase in expenditure from £2.87m to £3.66m leaving a surplus of £790k. In addition, comments on social media reference the removal of kitchen fittings since the Trust acquired the building.

A spokesperson for East Sussex CC said “the building is subject to a Deed of Covenant between the county council and Parchment Trust. This deed obliges Parchment Trust to use and manage the property for the benefit of the community within the Ore Valley area in Hastings and to ensure that the property is open to the public for at least 20 hours during a week. Any subsequent purchaser will be required to enter into a deed on similar terms.”

Cllr Hilton revealed to BBC Radio Sussex that the county council was taking legal advice to establish the precise nature of the legal covenants covering the building. She suggested that the two covenants: one with East Sussex CC; and the other with Homes England could be appealed by the Trust if they do not achieve a sale within six months.

HIP contacted Sara Whalley, the CEO of the Parchment Trust, for a comment on the sale and was informed that the “Trust had published a statement on its website and would not be making any further comments.”

The website statement defended the decision to sell the property. It said the Trust as a charity was “bound by strict legal obligations”, with trustees “legally required to act in the charity’s best interests to secure the best possible terms when disposing of a property.” As a result, the Trust “could not simply give the property away.”

It added, the trustees “sought legal advice and professional guidance when deciding how to dispose of The Bridge.” This confirmed that due to the fact the Trust “has invested a lot of money in The Bridge, it is in the charity’s “best interests” to try to recover these losses through a sale. This was the strong advice we received in line with our legal obligations.”

With regards to determining the £650,000 sale price, the website statement said the Trust “followed the guidance from the Charities Commission to have an independent valuation done, which took into account the covenants for community use”.

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 the original roof lantern structure collapsed. The breach left the underlying wooden structural beams fully exposed. The damage occurred to units 9, 10, and 11, the former premises of the Ocean Catch Fish and Chip Restaurant.

Local Castle Ward Councillor Becca Horn was alerted to what had happened by local resident Penny Beale, on Sunday morning. She immediately called the emergency services to alert them to the incident.

A Fire Service Silver Command Officer warned the hazard presented a clear danger to public safety and ordered the area to be sealed off with heras fencing. Hastings BC’s Building Control Service provided by Wealden Council was also notified.

The arcade units were bought by Ankit Rana in 2019. In March 2025, his plans to transform the premises into a food hall, with eateries offering a diverse range of menus and cuisines from around the world, were approved by the council. Shortly afterwards, the contractors, Sidhu Construction Ltd., began the renovations with the aim of opening the new venture by summer 2026.

Mr Rana explained to HIP that his contractors had been working on the premises when the condition of the roof became “unstable because of extensive damp”. He denied that the roof had collapsed and insisted that parts of the old structure needed to be replaced for safety reasons.

However, in granting planning consent, Hastings BC stipulated that the proposed works “should not harm the designated heritage asset”. In a structural report prepared by Sheppard Structural Engineers, it was noted that there were “significant concerns regarding the condition and stability of the original existing roof lantern”. The report went on to say: “Whilst works to the roof lantern do not form part of this consent, the owner is encouraged to heed the advice of the consultant structural engineer and to put in place such temporary supports as are recommended by the engineer to stabilise the roof, at the earliest opportunity.”

No temporary supports were put in place and the roof subsequently collapsed.

Mr. Rana insisted that Sidhu Construction Ltd. had “worked closely” with Hastings BC Building Control Unit and had followed their advice “at all times”. He blamed the problem on the rapid deterioration in the condition of the roof because of damp and water penetration.

A spokesperson for Hastings BC said the council “is aware of the situation with a section of the roof at Pelham Arcade in Pelham Crescent. This is not part of a council-owned building, but, due to the public safety concerns, a council officer attended the site on Sunday. As a result, the council installed temporary fencing to ensure public safety. It has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and as a dangerous structure to Building Control, who will ensure that the owners fulfil their responsibilities and make the site safe.”

Mr Rana said his company would undertake emergency remedial works to fix the problems and replace parts of the old structure to ensure it meets safety standards.

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 the Old Town.

The theatre was packed out with local residents and business owners who expressed deep concerns over the alarming rise in burglaries and an upsurge in overt drug use and dealing, and aggressive begging which has left many within the community feeling unsettled.

Addressing the Challenges

The MP, sitting alongside Simon Yates, Sussex Police District Commander for Hastings and Rother, and John Whittington, the Public Safety Manager with Hastings BC, urged Old Town residents, businesses and law enforcement to unite as a community in addressing these challenges.

She said: “It’s important that we see robust police action to protect residents, business and visitors in Hastings Old Town, especially during this busy summer season and beyond.”

The meeting heard graphic details of the impact the increase in crime and anti-social behaviour has had on the local community and on businesses, which have suffered financial losses due to theft. Local residents complained of feeling heightened anxiety as a result of the persistent street drinking, drug use and burglaries.

Anger and Frustration

There was anger and frustration too, at the lack of response from the police to their concerns with repeated claims that calling the police hotline 101 was a waste of time.
Commander Simon Yates, who is from Hastings originally, acknowledged the frustrations of local people in using the 101 hotline. However, he urged people to report all incidents of crime, telling the meeting that the only way he could allocate more resources to Hastings was by ensuring all reports were logged with all instances of crime reported.

Sussex Police will hold a further session on Sunday, 31 August between 11am-12pm at the Stade to meet with local people to discuss community safety in the area.

Helena Dollimore will write to the District Commander with full details collected at the meeting and has promised to keep local residents and businesses updated.

(Image Credit: Peter Mould)