Archives for News - Page 2
Taken for a Ride
Will Some School Children Miss Out? HUGH SULLIVAN Ever since the British Museum, backed by the national Government, persuaded authorities in France to loan the original Bayeux Tapestry for exhibition…
News in Brief
Gunshots Lead to Crash Injuries Four people were injured when their car crashed in Hastings during a police pursuit. The incident began after gunshots were reported in Sidley Green, Bexhill.…
Hastings Heritage in Peril
KENT BARKER Conservation campaigners have castigated Hastings Borough Council (HBC) for failing to protect the numerous heritage sites in the town. One said Hastings had a “sorry record of failing…
Council Tax: Thousands Prosecuted
Council Tax arrears have risen sharply in Hastings, and more households face court action as JAMES PRENTICE and KENT BARKER report Council tax debts in the Hastings Borough Council area…
Council Investigates Roof Collapse
Residents in Ashburnham Road in Clive Vale, had a nasty shock on the recent Bank Holiday Saturday (23 May) when the roof of the house at number 58 collapsed and…
Nuns’ Memorial Criticised
KENT BARKER The erection of a new memorial to the 46 nuns whose bodies were exhumed from the centre of a St Leonards Housing estate has been criticised over lack of consultation…
News in Brief
In with the New Hastings Borough Council has announced the make-up of its new administration following the May elections in which the Green Party won an overall majority. Glenn Haffenden…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter Streets of HASTINGS Dear HIP As a visitor from western Canada, I am surprised at the poor condition of the streets and roads in St Leonards and Hastings (and other parts…
Tories Hand Council to Reform
KENT BARKER Reform UK has taken control of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) after receiving support from Conservative and Independent county councillors. Richard KellyEast Sussex County Hall While they do…
We Won’t Be Silenced
JOHN ENFER An award-winning journalist and film-maker will visit Hastings in June for the screening of a film which documents the extraordinary efforts of ordinary people to confront companies in…
Education Update
Local secondary school teacher ARNOLD THOMAS begins an occasional column on Education in and around Hastings, bearing in mind Nelson Mandela’s view that “Education is the most powerful weapon you…
Permissions Sought for 471 Greenfield Homes
HUGH SULLIVAN Outline planning applications have been lodged with Rother District Council for the building of two adjacent housing estates off Ninfield Road, Bexhill. The estates are aimed to encompass…
NEWS IN BRIEF
New David Lloyd Centre for Bexhill? Proposals for a new David Lloyd leisure and fitness centre at the Bexhill Enterprise Park in Mount View Street have been set out in…
Tories Toppled From County Hall
Now it’s Deal or No Deal with Reform HUGH SULLIVAN Prior to the election on 7 May, the Cabinet of East Sussex County Council consisted of seven Conservative members. Their…
Town Beaches Win Awards
Pelham beach off Hastings and Marina beach off St Leonards have both won national awards presented by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. Hastings Borough Council Both beaches have been given a Seaside…
St Mary Future Tied to Repairs to Pelham Arcade
HUGH SULLIVAN In October last year, Hastings Borough Council started what it called an Expression of Interest (EOI) process to identify a new partner, operator or consortium to take over…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter Hastings Pier Madness Dear HIP Why can’t our local council step in and save Hastings Pier? It seems unwise that this important community asset was sold to Sheikh Gulzar…
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…
Homes or Community?
Council and MP Challenge Developers of Ashdown House HUGH SULLIVAN The housing estate recently built on the site of Ashdown House, the former Department of Work & Pensions office block…
Three Key Takeaways from the Recent Local Elections
James Prentice analyses the results for Hastings Independent Press The local election held within the Hastings borough produced significant shifts. Reform emerged as a competitive party for the first time,…
Renters’ Rights Act Comes into Force
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A landmark new law strengthening renters' rights, which promises to transform the lives of tenants living in the 12,500 private rental homes across Hastings and St Leonards came…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter More Palestine Protest Arrests Dear HIP, I fully support the views and actions expressed by C and by H in HIP 300. What Keir Starmer and two Home Secretaries…
East Sussex Decides, 2026. Reform UK Leading Party after Local Elections in East Sussex
Reform UK Leading Party after Local Elections in East Sussex The 2026 East Sussex county council election has delivered a seismic shift, with Reform UK winning 22 seats to become…
Jess Steele Steps Down as CEO of Hastings Commons
Jess Steele has resigned from her role as Chief Executive of Hastings Commons, the community-led project behind the revival of several derelict buildings across the town. She had been CEO…
Pocket Park Reopens
Local volunteers have successfully reopened the Better Braybrooke Pocket Park on Hughenden Road more than two years after it closed. The restoration project, led by Josh Matthews the Chair of…
More SEND Kids for Mainstream Schools
East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is gearing up for more children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) to attend mainstream schools. MP Helena Dollimore says that, following the government’s…
The Bridge: a Personal Reminiscence
ED BOXALL, local artist, writer, storyteller, and musician, recalls the days when he used to take his two sons to The Bridge Paul McLaughlinThe Bridge Community Centre Today The Bridge…
Shingle All the Way
PAUL McLAUGHLIN People walking along the Hastings seafront in recent weeks will have noticed the massive buildup of shingle gathered up by the Harbour Arm in front of the RNLI…
RNLI Coastal Training Exercise
Volunteer crew from RNLI Hastings have taken part in a large-scale water safety training exercise alongside local emergency services, organised by HM Coastguard. RNLI The event, hosted at the Hastings…
Local Schools Celebrate National Recognition
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN AND HUGH SULLIVAN Three local schools are celebrating after being nominated for prestigious national teaching awards recognising the exceptional quality of their teaching and support staff as well…
Polanski Fires Up Green Supporters Despite Reform UK Hecklers
Green Party Leader Zak Polanski gave a rousing speech to a packed crowd at the Courtyard on Hastings seafront on Thursday afternoon (30 April) as part of a final push…
More Palestine Protest Arrests
Seven local residents – several of them aged in their 70s or 80s – were arrested on Hastings seafront under the Terrorism Act on the afternoon of Saturday 11 April.…
The Last Call
Battlelines drawn for local elections Paul McLaughlin Voters across Hastings and St Leonards will go to the polls on 7 May for what are likely to be the final local…
Candidate list
EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL Ashdown & Conquest Louise Chantal Labour and Cooperative Aidan Fisher Reform UK Stewart Rayment Liberal Democrat Roger Streeten Conservative Paula Warne Green Baird & Ore Liam…
No Dualling of A21
MARK SULLIVAN MP for Bexhill & Battle, Kieran Mullan, called in Parliament last week for dual carriageways to be built on further stretches of the A21. Hastings & Rye MP…
Gulzar Eyes 6,500% Profit
HUGH SULLIVAN Friends of Hastings Pier (FoHP), the group seeking return of the landmark asset to community ownership, have been told by owner Sheikh Gulzar that he wants £4m for…
Development Special: Local Plan Tribulations
Hastings Borough Council Leader GLENN HAFFENDEN outlines the severe complexities of drafting a Local Plan that will be acceptable to residents as well as to Government HIP: What is the…
Development Special: Refurbish Don’t Demolish
KENT BARKER A growing movement in Hastings is opposing demolition of existing buildings, arguing that refurbishment is more cost effective and environmentally sound. Despite opposition from house builders and housing…
Development Special: Destroying Green and Pleasant Land
Sandrock Bends Local residents are campaigning to save an area of land on The Ridge opposite Conqueror’s March pub from an estate of 65 houses. The hectare site is listed…