Tag archives for East Sussex County Council
East Sussex Highways Robbery
The Independent Hastings Borough Councillor, Andy Batsford, has launched a campaign calling for East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to disclose how it allocates the nearly £1 million in lane rental…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter Whose Free Speech? Dear HIP Helena Dollimore MP and Grumpy Cook owner Barry Ashley are right to criticise the Reform-run East Sussex County Council (ESCC) for ending holiday meal…
Exam Results: Pluses & Minuses
Figures published by exams regulator Ofqual show that school pupils in Hastings have scored the least number of Grade 7 or above GCSE results this summer of anywhere in the…
Strategy to Halt Biodiversity Decline
PAUL McLAUGHLIN East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has published a pioneering Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) designed to reverse biodiversity decline across East Sussex, and Brighton & Hove. As the…
Reform in Reverse
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Reform UK has withdrawn its threat to report Barry Ashley, the owner of the Grumpy Cook café in Robertson Street, to the police, along with local Labour MP…
Cinque or Swim?
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The government has confirmed it will proceed with plans to abolish Hastings Borough Council (HBC), four other neighbouring district and borough councils, and East Sussex County Council, replacing…
Uproar as Council Scraps Food Vouchers for Kids
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Reform UK-led East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has scrapped the automatic allocation of supermarket food vouchers for struggling families over the summer holidays. The decision has provoked outrage…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Why I’m Standing:
Individual candidates make their pitch HASTINGS INDEPENDENT John CannanWishing Tree (HBC) I’m born and bred in ; My passion is ;I was lucky enough to be born in a council house.…
News in Brief
Dynamic Obfuscation A freedom of Information request has failed to clarify whether arms manufacturer General Dynamics produced weapons at its Hastings factory which have been used by Israel in the…
NEWS IN BRIEF
Teenage Educational Centre at Former Debenhams Building Planning permission has been granted by Hastings Borough Council for an area on the first and second floor of the former Debenhams store…
New Owner Found for The Bridge
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The future of The Bridge Community Centre in Hastings has been secured after current owners, the Parchment Trust, announced they have found a new buyer for the building…
News in brief
TERRORISM SUSPECTS WELCOME COURT RULING The High Court ruling over the legality of banning Palestine Action has been welcomed by local protestors. Gabriel Carlyle, arrested in Parliament Square in July…
Council Tax Bills Set to Rise
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved draft budget plans, including a council tax increase for residents from April. This is the maximum rise allowed by the government without…
Surplus Places in Hastings Schools
JOEL CHESHIRE Forecasts within East Sussex County Council’s School Organisation Plan 2025-2029 indicate that several primary schools in Hastings are operating with significant surplus capacity. As many of these schools…
Potholes– More or Less?
JAMES PRENTICE Last year during my travels through the town, I began to notice fewer potholes. Also whilst walking around, I’ve noticed more road maintenance teams filling in potholes that…
Fare Fight?
MP, county council and campaigners clash on bus priorities HUGH SULLIVAN Photos: Jason Ellis In recent days, residents of Hastings and Rye have received a circular through their letterboxes from…
Reform UK Tops the East Sussex Poll
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Reform UK won the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) by-election held in Ashdown and Conquest last Thursday (20 November). Ben FisherAidan Fisher, elected as councillor Aidan Fisher topped…
NEWS IN BRIEF
DOG-FOULING IN HASTINGS A pet agency Bubblegum Search has reported the results of Freedom of Information (FOI) research into data of dog-fouling across the UK. It reveals that 347 complaints of dog-fouling were…
Book a Trip to the Tip
On 24 November, East Sussex County Council (ESCC) introduced a mandatory booking system for all its household waste recycling sites. Dave Young Residents arriving at the Hastings Household Waste Recycling…
Town Hall Set to Lose Registry Functions
HUGH SULLIVAN A decision taken by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to move the functions of the Hastings Register Office from the Town Hall on Queens Road to the Library…
News in Brief
Town Centre Snail’s Progress Plans to improve Hastings town centre have taken a small step forward, with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) agreeing to advertise Traffic Regulation Orders and delegate…
Reform UK Tops the Poll in East Sussex
Reform UK has won the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) by-election held in Ashdown and Conquest on Thursday 20 November. Aidan Fisher was elected with 32% (797) of the vote,…
‘We’re still owed a seven-figure sum’
Sea Change wrangles with Council over Queensway issues HUGH SULLIVAN Relations between East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Sea Change Sussex, their former partners in delivering the Queensway Gateway link Rd,…
FOOTBALL: Up And Running
New Boss Altendorff Takes United Out of Bottom Four 21 October: Hastings 1, Broadbridge Heath 2 25 October: Hastings 1, Deal Town 3 28 October: Hastings 1, Hassocks 1 1…
By-Election Battle Looms
Paul McLaughlin A by-election for the East Sussex County Council seat of Ashdown and Conquest will be held on 20 November, following the sudden death of Conservative Councillor Peter Pragnell.…
At Long Last
The final section of Queensway Gateway Road connecting the A21 Sedlescombe Road North and Queensway finally opened to traffic last Tuesday (30 September)… just nine years behind the original schedule!…
Shock at The Bridge Sell-Off
Paul McLaughlin The Parchment Trust has confirmed plans to sell The Bridge Community Centre at 361 Priory Road in Hastings. The building, which has been closed for over seven years,…
Chaos and Confusion
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The political map of Sussex is set to be radically redrawn in the coming months, but the road ahead is becoming ever more fractious and fiercely disputed. With…
Flying the Flag – Racism or Patriotism?
The St George’s flag has emerged as a deeply polarising symbol in modern British politics, embodying and influencing debates surrounding national identity, immigration, and race. For many individuals in the…
Trim those Hedges & Trees
ROD WEBB East Sussex County Council is reminding people that most roadside vegetation is the responsibility of the landowner. It needs regular pruning to keep it within property boundaries, pointing…
Home Ed Soars in Hastings as Schools Falter
JAMES PRENTICE AND HUGH SULLIVAN School pupils returned to classrooms across Britain last week for the new academic year. In advance, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson issued a national warning to…
Unacceptable Roads Policies
As East Sussex County Council (ESCC) announces yet further delays to the completion of the A21–Queensway link road, the Secretary of State for Transport has castigated the Conservative-controlled council for…
Don’t Lose the Plot!
ANDREW COLQUHOUN has had an allotment at Lower Torfield in Hastings Old Town for about 20 years, but admits that his wife Stephanie still grows better veg than he does.…