The Sheikh of Eastbourne
Abid Gulzar arrived in Britain from northern India in 1965 aged 19. In a profile of him on the (national) Independent website in November 2015 at the time of his purchase of Eastbourne pier he told his interviewer that the…
Engaging with the Community – On What?
On Friday 15th June the pier structure and its ongoing business were sold by the Administrators of Hastings Pier Charity to Sheikh Abid Gulzar, owner of Eastbourne Pier. At the time of going to press both the Administrators and the…
HASTINGS COUNTRY PARK – Going up
Straw Bale Build to Start in August at Inflated Cost Building of the long planned “Interpretive Centre” at Hastings Country Park is hoped to start in August, according to Cllr Colin Fitzgerald, environment portfolio holder at Hastings Borough Council (HBC):…
No Longer ‘INADEQUATE’
Staff commended as trust makes good progress. Emma Harwood writes. Troubled East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – which manages both the Conquest and Eastbourne District General hospitals – no longer needs to be in quality special measures, healthcare watchdog the Care…
SEA CHANGE: “We’re Saving Jobs”
But financial decisions of not-for-profit development company come under fire from watch critics. Emma Harwood reports An economic development company which has spent millions of pounds of government funding building work spaces, roads and industrial parks, some of which remain empty…
Safer To Swim
Camber tragedies sparked RNLI lifeguard cover. Emma Harwood reports The Royal National Lifeguard Institution has been formally appointed by Hastings Borough Council to operate the Hastings beach lifeguard service for three years, following a successful pilot last year. In a separate…
“Known for it”
In April this year Hastings was identified by the Office of National Statistics as having the third highest rate of deaths involving heroin and morphine misuse of all local authority areas in England and Wales. Only Blackpool and Burnley had worse records…
The Best Plaice to Buy
Quality, value and better for the environment. Emma Harwood reports A campaign to create a Hastings Fish brand to encourage residents and tourists to buy fish caught locally and sustainably has been welcomed by the local fishing community. The brand will…
Drug-Abusing, Homeless and Dead
On 4th January this year the Hastings and Rother coroner’s office announced that there had been three deaths of homeless people in Hastings in eight days over Christmas. MP (and at that time Home Secretary) Amber Rudd was reported as…
Slave Labour: Who cares?
Police investigate Hastings-based agencies Reports. Emma Harwood Locally-based employment agencies which supplied staff to care homes in the Hastings area are being investigated for modern slavery crimes. The agencies are alleged to have been recruiting workers from Eastern Europe, mainly Romania,…