Tag archives for Paul McLaughlin
Government Pauses Council Reform
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Government plans for the reform of local government across Sussex have been put on hold. Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, told…
A Very Special Moment
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Royalty and world leaders may have topped the guest list, but it was the schoolchildren from Hastings who stole the spotlight at last Wednesday’s historic unveiling of the…
Southern Water Stink
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The unmistakable stench of raw sewage once again hung over Bulverhythe last Thursday morning (20 August), after Southern Water began discharging untreated wastewater from its Bexhill and Hastings…
Pride in Place
PAUL McLAUGHLIN The Hastings Pride in Place Board has appointed eight new community members to oversee how £ of government funding for the town’s regeneration programme will be spent. Backed…
Swimmers Raise Jet Ski Concerns
PAUL McLAUGHLIN Swimmers and paddleboarders in Hastings have voiced growing concern over the proliferation of jet skis and paragliders along the shoreline during the recent heatwave. There have been several…
Local Skipper Homelessness Once Again
PAUL McLAUGHLIN The skipper of the stricken sloop, Maranatha, which ran aground off the Sussex coast, is locally born sailor, Justyn. After becoming homeless in Hastings two years ago, he has…
Greens and Reform Clash over Al Mawasi Link
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The simmering tensions between the Green-led Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and Reform UK, the main opposition group, burst to the surface at a prickly meeting of the Full…
Cinque or Swim?
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The government has confirmed it will proceed with plans to abolish Hastings Borough Council (HBC), four other neighbouring district and borough councils, and East Sussex County Council, replacing…
World Upside Down
In the space of just over a week, thousands of struggling families across Hastings and St Leonards have learned that the automatic allocation of supermarket food vouchers issued to them…
Shock Closure of Source Park
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The Source Park, one of the world's largest underground skateparks, has been forced to close its doors with immediate effect due to urgent health and safety concerns. The…
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…
William Conquers Hastings
PAUL McLAUGHLIN The Prince of Wales paid a whirlwind visit to Hastings on 9 July, spending the day meeting local fishermen, playing crazy golf and being inducted into the Winkle…
Octopus Rescue: A Sign of Things to Come
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The Pett Level Rescue Boat team, usually tasked with helping distressed swimmers and vessels, found themselves in uncharted waters on Saturday 4 July when they responded to an…
Old Town Boating Lake Makeover
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The Old Town Boating Lake has been a popular feature of Hastings seafront for almost a hundred years. Opened in 1933 to plans drawn up by Borough Engineer…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Eyesore on George Street
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN There is mounting frustration from local traders and residents over the developers’ failure to transform the site of a burnt-out nightclub at the entrance to George Street. In…
Old Town Traders Stand Together
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A spate of break-ins along George Street and High Street in recent weeks has caused distress to local traders and prompted calls for an increased police presence in…
MP Secures Free Bayeux Tapestry Tickets for Local Schoolchildren
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Schools in Hastings and 1066 Country will receive priority booking for free tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry when it goes on display at the British Museum later…
Iran’s Unrest Amid Hastings Calm
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The turmoil gripping Iran is being closely followed by the Kurdish Iranian community in Hastings. Omid Ibrahim, the owner of the popular Kings Barbers on Queens Road, says the impact…
New Owner Found for The Bridge
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The future of The Bridge Community Centre in Hastings has been secured after current owners, the Parchment Trust, announced they have found a new buyer for the building…
Council Tax Bills Set to Rise
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved draft budget plans, including a council tax increase for residents from April. This is the maximum rise allowed by the government without…
Local Mother’s Road Safety Campaign
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A local mother’s campaign for tougher road safety laws following the death of her son has won the backing of the Government and led to the introduction of…
Hastings in Eye of Political Storm
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The political whirlwind engulfing the government swept through Hastings last Thursday morning (5 February) as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived at a wet and windy Horntye Park…
Hastings Residents Affected by Major Gas Leak
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Emergency services evacuated residents from the Queens Apartments in Robertson Terrace, Hastings on 2 December after detecting dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in first-floor flats. The incident,…
Council Reform Chaos
Paul McLaughlin The government’s plans for the most radical shake-up of local government structures in a generation appear to be descending into chaos after last week’s announcement that the upcoming…
Hastings Housing Company to Close
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Plans to wind down the Hastings Housing Company (HHC) Ltd and transfer its assets back to the council moved a step closer last week, following a decision by…
Landslides Action Plan
Rod Webb and Paul McLaughlin The threat of landslides in Hastings and St Leonards is real and persistent (see page 5), with 24 recorded events in recent years. The most recent landslides…
Ambitious New Housing Strategy
Paul McLaughlin Hastings Borough Council has launched its first housing strategy since 2019. The 2025-2030 plan makes confronting the town’s “severe and worsening affordability crisis” its top priority. Council Leader…
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…
By-Election Battle Looms
Paul McLaughlin A by-election for the East Sussex County Council seat of Ashdown and Conquest will be held on 20 November, following the sudden death of Conservative Councillor Peter Pragnell.…
Shock at The Bridge Sell-Off
Paul McLaughlin The Parchment Trust has confirmed plans to sell The Bridge Community Centre at 361 Priory Road in Hastings. The building, which has been closed for over seven years,…
Pelham Arcade Roof Collapse
Safety Warnings were Ignored PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The arcades in Pelham Crescent at the front of St Mary in the Castle sustained significant damage on Saturday (27 September) after sections of…
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…
Parties Clash over Allotment Sell-Off
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Relations between the Green-led Hastings Borough Council and the local Labour MP are becoming more fractious. Tensions flared up recently when Helena Dollimore accused the Council of being…
Old Town United
Paul McLaughlin Hastings Old Town residents and business owners packed the Stables Theatre on Thursday evening (7 August) for an urgent public meeting called by local Labour MP Helena Dollimore…
‘Safe, Settled and Affordable’ Homes for All
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Hastings Borough Council has unveiled a new strategic plan aimed at tackling the housing and homelessness crisis engulfing the town. Council Leader Glenn Haffenden was in the Priory…