Councillor Jeremy Birch, Leader of Hastings Borough Council

Jobs - the top priority

2012-02-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Launching the 100 apprentices in 100 days campaign

Charles Dickens was once seen in Yates in the town centre. Of course it was 1861 and it wasn’t Yates then but the Municipal Hall. He was doing a public reading of extracts from his books.

Now we are celebrating 200 years since his birth the question is being asked would he recognise some of the social issues of today. What would he say about bankers’ bonuses or rising unemployment, particularly among young people?

Certainly Hastings people are telling us their number one concern is jobs and the economy. And as a council we are developing a jobs’ action plan to try to make an impact.

We launched Own Grown a project to encourage local employers to take on apprentices. This month we set the target of 100 apprentices in 100 days – getting businesses across the town committing to take on 100 apprentices by 15th May. Of course I am urging that they be recruited at least on the minimum wage for their age and that training is accredited.

Training is free to the employer for under-19s and half covered for under 24s. From April the government is offering to pay small businesses with fewer than 50 staff £1,500 to take on an apprentice aged 16 to 24.

The council’s role is to raise awareness of apprenticeships and offer to be the go-between bringing employers together with the appropriate training provider. You can find out more at http://www.hastings.gov.uk/business_jobs/hai/apprenticeship_event/

The council is also heading up an employability project, to help local people who are out of work, especially young people, to demonstrate the appropriate social skills and grasp of the requirements of the workplace: to help them become employable. Called Pathways to Employment the project will hopefully be funded from a £150,000 bid for European funding.

Added to this is all the regeneration activity the council is involved in – the aim of which is to increase prosperity and bring jobs and incomes to the town.

In March the Jerwood gallery opens which I believe will be a major boost to our visitor economy and help create jobs in our hotels and restaurants. It will also underline Hastings place as a cultural centre which will attract cultural and creative businesses.

We are looking to rebrand the town with its cultural offer, its university and its quality of life at the heart of it. We need the same marketing brand to attract visitors and to attract businesses relocating to Hastings.

We succeeded in encouraging Saga to locate its insurance arm here and they are still promising up to 800 jobs. So we will continue to work as part of a regeneration company which is trying to repeat the Saga success by creating quality business space which can attract quality businesses to the town.

Nothing the council does is more important than this action plan for jobs.

2012 - a year of opportunities

2012-01-03T01:37:00.000-08:00

What sort of year will 2012 be for Hastings Borough Council? It will be challenging; but what year isn’t? It will certainly be a year of intense activity for the council and a year with significant opportunities for Hastings.

It will see the council move on with the compulsory purchase of the Pier with the intention of passing it to the Pier Trust who have the chance of Heritage Lottery funds; we intend to compulsory purchase the eyesore that is the Malvern pub in Broomgrove and the equally unattractive empty nursing home in St Leonards. We will also be seeking to compulsorily purchasing a further batch of empty homes and return them to use.

Once the CPOs are confirmed the pub will be demolished. The nursing home refurbished and turned into individual dwellings as part of our housing improvement plan for Central St Leonards working with Local Space Housing Association. With us they will be investing £2 million into the area in 2012 for housing and environmental improvements.

Early in 2012 we will be launching our campaign to encourage local businesses to take on 100 apprentices in 100 days as part of our Jobs Action Plan.

In February Pizza Express opens on the Queens Road side of Priory Meadow which will be a good addition to our local economy and of course the council is the freeholder of the shopping centre.

In March the Jerwood Gallery will open which will really put Hastings on the national cultural map. The gallery will be home to an internationally acclaimed permanent art collection and will attract quality artists for changing exhibitions too. The Arts Council has awarded us £160,000 to add our own accompanying cultural activities on the Stade open space, based upon the principles of culture for all.

In 2012 work will go on at last in the White Rock Baths with the planned use by Lifecycle and there is a really exciting project for West Marina, again after too long a wait.

These could bring new life to the seafront. So too will our new seafront decorative lights which will be up by March, a little tea and coffee spot opening on the prom at Warrior Square and a number of play facilities we will be installing at different points on the prom by the Summer.

In July the Olympic Torch will be run along the seafront. We are the only East Sussex town where it stops overnight and where a real celebration is organised. We are planning to close the seafront from West St Leonards to the Old Town. Communities along the route are preparing festivities to greet the Torch and to have a good time, culminating in a big event on the Stade and the traditional Hastings firework display.

Financially the council is facing a difficult future but at least for 2012 there will be no rise in council tax and no rise in prices in the council’s car parks. So let’s make the most of this new year and hope that Hastings can prove it is the most improving seaside town.

First cut may not be the deepest

2011-12-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

The council has now been informed by government of how much money they are going to give us to run services for local people next year. It is what we expected so there are no terrible surprises. But that means the anticipated 30% cut in government grant between 2010 and 2012 will happen and we are on the way towards the near 50% cut by 2013.

Whatever one thinks of the government’s national deficit reduction programme, local government is taking a larger cut than all areas of spending bar one – sport and culture. Within that the 10% most deprived local authorities (of which Hastings is one) are facing cuts in government grant four times greater than the least deprived 10%. Our local churches petitioned Number 10 in the Spring on just this point.

The chancellor’s Autumn Statement indicated that cuts in public spending will now go on for longer. He will not eliminate the structural deficit by 2015 so spending cuts will go on till 2017. Public sector job losses will now be 700,000 not 400,000 and of course a third of those jobs are in local government. So things are looking difficult for some years to come.

The council’s medium-term financial planning till 2014 may have got its predictions right for next year but the position could be worse for the years to follow. The Autumn Statement made clear that there will be additional reductions to government spending during this parliament and that will affect us.

So what is the council doing about it? We have just had our external auditor’s report and it says:

“The council managed its financial position well in the year, with clear leadership on financial matters shown by the senior management team and the cabinet…The council has identified the significant financial risks to its financial stability and has taken action to increase the amounts of savings achieved through its efficiency programme, including a major restructuring of the council and a reduction in the number of senior management posts. It has also established sufficient reserves to support achievement of the medium-term financial strategy.”

We are looking at sharing services with other councils to save money – like waste collection, grounds maintenance and back-office functions. We have concentrated all council staff in just two locations to cut costs. But to meet the challenge facing us we will still have to look at every item of council spending and at every service we deliver to local people.

The government has offered councils the money for a council tax freeze next year by giving us in grant the equivalent of a 2.5% increase. But had we put up the council tax by 2.5% the extra money generated would of course carry on coming in every year. The freeze grant is for just one year. So 12 months on we will be short. But I will be recommending to the council that we take up the offer and there will be no council tax rise from Hastings Borough Council next year.

What sort of Place is Hastings

2011-11-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

So what do Hastings people really think about their town and how do they think it can improve? Well we know some of the answers. The Place Survey into local people’s opinions which is done every two years has recently reported back.

Out in Kings Road listening to residents

The headlines are pretty good but they also show the areas where we need to do more.

Obviously I’m pleased that satisfaction with the borough council is now 57% compared to just 36% in 2008.

Also really pleasing is that 54% of local people feel safe in their local area outside after dark compared with 39% in 2008. We all know that crime has come down in the town and when I speak to people there is a feeling that things are getting better – although of course one crime is still one crime too many.

I am also heartened by the finding that 77% agree that people from different backgrounds get on well together locally. In 2008 the figure was 71%.

As for the question about how satisfied or dissatisfied people are with their local area there has been no real change – 12% dissatisfied this time and in 2008; satisfied 73% this time, 75% before.

But what are the things we are satisfied with – festivals and events (Seafood &Wine, Jack-in-the Green etc) 81% said good, restaurants and cafes 67% good, galleries and museums 51% good. Satisfaction with parks and gardens is high, and satisfaction with litter, refuse and recycling has all gone up in the last two years.

Activities in the town that score less well are the town’s night life – only 30% good, highways 43% dissatisfied, and street cleanliness in Central St Leonards 33% thought it was poor.

What is also very interesting is looking in real detail at the differences in some of these perceptions for different age ranges and for different parts of the town. A very clear message is that we need to do more to get young people’s opinions.

But all in all the results are encouraging and do help us when we are thinking where perhaps to invest extra time and resources – although there’s not much spare at the moment.

The over-riding worry I think Hastings people have at the moment is now jobs and tackling that remains a major challenge.

Senior Management Restructure

2011-10-10T04:47:00.001-07:00

The council is consulting on a major re-organisation of its senior management structure. When we set our budget for this year we said we were going to look at our management costs and structure. We have to. By 2013 we will have seen a 47.4% cut in government funding for the council compared to 2010.

We lost 40 council posts this year. Our highways responsibilities have been taken back by the County Council. So we need to bring the size of our senior management team into line with the reduced size of our total staffing.

Councils across the country are looking at different ways of doing things. Some councils share their chief executive or the whole senior management team with another council. In Lincolnshire three councils are looking to share one chief executive. In Essex one of the district councils shares a chief executive with the county council. A few councils have decided to dispense with the role of chief executive and to have a small collective leadership team.

We have looked at all these ideas to see what might work here. But we also asked the council staff what they thought. We set up a Staff Commission made up of members of staff below the senior management level and from different parts of the council.

So we started with a bottom-up approach to this restructuring. The Commission came up with ideas for how the council could work. They particularly stressed the benefits of delegating more responsibility down to staff at different levels and for more collaborative working across directorates and service divisions.

At the moment in Hastings Borough Council there’s one chief executive, three directors and 11 heads of service. After a lot of thought and discussion with everyone involved I am recommending a management structure with no chief executive, three directors and seven heads of service. Over time this could bring a saving of around £400,000 a year.

We are now consulting on these suggestions with the people affected until the end of the month and will take a final decision by mid-November. This timescale will then help us with preparing next year’s budget.

Going through a restructuring process is never an easy task. All our current senior officers are highly professional and very dedicated to their jobs and to the future of the town. They have all played a significant part in the progress we have made over the last few years and deserve all our thanks.

But in this very difficult financial climate we are being forced to make tough decisions and I know once a new structure is in place everyone will work hard to make sure it succeeds.

Decent homes for all

2011-10-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

With Cllr Jay Kramer outside one of the empty homes subject to a CPO

Sometimes even I will admit council committee meetings could be more interesting! Some reports we discuss are necessary but perhaps not action-packed. Not so the October cabinet meeting – it was one proactive decision after another, each of which will make a real difference to people in the town.

At the annual council meeting back in May I announced we were developing a housing action plan – the October cabinet meeting approved the details. It involves the council getting stuck in to enforcing better housing conditions in privately rented properties, especially houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).And it involves innovative ways of bringing in money for housing renewal now that the government grants w e used to get have been stopped.

The town has a very high proportion of bedsit/flats, or houses in multiple occupation - four times the national average.

Living conditions in them are often well below standard, so the action plan includes an additional licensing scheme to help tackle these problems and provide greater protection for tenants. It will mean all HMOs will have to be licensed and they will have to meet standards set by the council for housing conditions and for management of the property.

The cabinet meeting confirmed our partnership with Local Space housing association, who are looking to invest £3.5m in Central St Leonards buying up some of the poor quality HMOs and improving and renovating them.

It also agreed to compulsorily purchase 14 long-term empty properties – double the number we successfully targeted back in December. Of the ones we agreed to take over then nearly all are being brought back into positive use by the owners – the compulsory purchase threat clearly concentrated the mind.

We also decided to compulsorily purchase the Malvern pub which has been a blot on the area for too long. Amicus Horizon housing association are looking to redevelop the parade of shops and flats next door so demolishing the pub and landscaping the site could transform the appearance of that corner of Broomgrove estate.

Then the cabinet approved a scheme where the council will act as guarantor for deposits for first-time buyers. Currently they are being asked to stomp up 25% of the mortgage as a deposit. We will act as guarantor for 20% so the buyer will get a 95% mortgage on the same terms as a 75% one. We are looking to support perhaps 50 buyers and that may mean freeing up rented accommodation for others.

All in all that was a pretty busy night.

Keeping in contact

2011-09-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Making contact with local people during the recent Big Conversation

Talking to people around the town it’s clear one of the things they like is the information centre in the Town Hall. You can find out about council services, bus times and what’s going on around the town. And of course it is ideally placed – right in the heart of the town’s shopping area. Buses stop in Queen’s Road or you can park in the car parks nearby.

But you can’t pay your parking fine there; or sort out your housing benefit claim or your council tax query. For that you have to go to Aquila House out on the seafront.

Wouldn’t it be better if all personal contact with the council could be done in one building; and shouldn’t that be the Town Hall which is so easy to find and to get to?

Well that’s just what we are going to do with our plans for a contact centre. Councillors and council staff have been to see how these centres work in other councils and they were very impressed, especially by the contact centre in Margate. In fact they liked it so much we recruited the Margate manager and she is now putting her experience and knowledge to work to make sure the Hastings one is better still.

So it will mean anyone wanting to make personal contact with the borough council for whatever service will go to the Town Hall.

This will make it the people’s Town Hall. Aquila House will be a workplace for staff but the public will come to the Town Hall for all advice, information and services and of course council meetings and if that requires more space on the ground floor to serve our residents so be it.

And all enquiries or one to one interviews for things like benefits will be available on the ground floor so there will be full accessibility for everyone.

We have been recruiting a team of staff for their interpersonal skills and knowledge of council services so they can provide nearly all the information a resident might require when they phone up or drop in. They will spend part of their time answering phone queries and some time on the front desks. If there is a busy period on either they can be easily moved around to cope with the rush.

If anyone needs more specialised advice on the phone then the call can be transferred to the appropriate council department. But it will mean callers being left hanging on the end of a phone line much less often.

This new approach has already begun to be implemented with waste and planning contact being dealt with centrally. Telephone waiting times at the council have come down hugely.

And of course only having one place for personal contact with the council rather than two as we do now will save money at a time when that is a vital consideration. By Spring/Summer 2012 contact with most council services will be via the Town Hall.

The high quality of service we currently offer local people when they contact us will continue but all in the one building which will be better for everyone.

Sun shines on Hastings

2011-08-08T02:24:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the sunshine with the Mayor at the Garden of Family
Delights in St Leonards Gardens

We all know Hastings is the sunniest place in the country and we have all been enjoying it this Summer. But surely we have the chance to make more of it than just sun-bathing. Can’t we think about making Hastings a solar-powered town?

There are now a number of companies offering deals for those who would like to purchase solar panels for their homes. This is both to generate electricity for their own use, and to take advantage of the government’s feed in tariff and get paid for the extra electricity they can sell on to the national grid. If you can afford it, and you check out that the offer does make the best economic sense, then go for it.

Some companies also offer to basically lease a resident’s roof for 25 years and to install free solar panels for them. This gives the resident free electricity during daylight hours and can save hundreds of pounds a year, especially with prices going up. Again I would advise residents to check the details of what is being offered and be sure it is a good deal.

I have spoken with a local firm who plan to install 4,000 free panels by next Spring – a number of those could well be in Hastings. And Amicus Housing Association is already contacting its own tenants as it has signed a deal with another company to put up free panels.

The different companies seem to be offering very similar deals – they can arrange to help you purchase and install panels or they will arrange the free installation, leasing model which includes them taking responsibility for maintenance of the panels.

You would need to do the research, to shop around to find the best deal for your particular circumstances and take legal advice on any agreement or leasing arrangement you are asked to enter into.

Not every property is suitable. Ideally they have to be south facing to maximise the benefit of sunlight and probably they should be no more than two storeys high. Properties in conservation areas can be a challenge too. But all this does seem to offer a boost to tackling climate change and to tackling fuel poverty at the same time.

There are some useful websites to check out some of this – the Energy Saving Trust is good: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Generate-your-own-energy/Solar-electricity. And our information centre at the Town Hall is stocking information leaflets and contact details for companies that are involved.

Keeping up appearances

2011-07-17T12:17:00.001-07:00

Outside 60-61 Eversfield Place

Living on the seafront I walk along the promenade most days. I enjoy looking at the sea – it’s different every day and as interesting when it is stormy as when it is a still as a millpond. I love looking out at the small boats in-shore and the larger ones on the horizon. In the evening you can see the warning light appearing and then disappearing again as it revolves off Beachy Head.

But what really warms my heart is seeing scaffolding going up on the promenade buildings. These mainly Victorian frontages are the shop window of our town. If a shop window looks scruffy and uncared for do you venture into the shop. If our front line looks tatty and derelict potential investors or people wanting to move here might just keep driving till the coast road takes them out of the borough.

So I celebrate every time I see new scaffolding going up – it means work is going to start on improving our shop window.

At the moment the Queen’s Apartments (the old Queen’s Hotel) has scaffolding up, as does the huge Marine Court. Number 60-61 Eversfield Place (a problem building for some time) has extensive work going on.

And I know these buildings and a whole list of others have all been targeted at different times by the council ‘grotbusters’. Some years ago we set them the task of keeping our shop window up to scratch and they have done just that – taking reluctant owners to court, even organising the work in default and sending the owner the bill.

Four hundred and ninety eight properties have been improved following a ‘grotbuster’ intervention – from an initial friendly letter to court appearances.

On just one day recently 13 enforcement notices were issued by the ‘grotbusters’ in relation to 12 Eversfield Place to make sure every aspect and every one with an interest were covered.

Obviously keeping up appearances of the shop window is important but the ‘grotbusters’ do get involved in planning enforcement matters around the town. Only recently an enforcement notice was pinned up on the front door of the empty and very shabby Halton post office and it has unearthed an owner so hopefully something will start happening.

Of course on my seafront walks I note down any buildings that look run down and contact the ‘grotbusters’ myself. But just in case you think I must live a very sad life looking for derelict buildings that’s not all I do on my promenades. I also report in any litter, flytipping or flyposting too. In fact with a mobile phone I can take a photo of the offending site and e-mail it in to the appropriate council department.

I seriously urge all residents to do the same – whether by phone, e-mail or personally dropping in to the Town Hall report it and the council will take action.

Keeping the buildings and streets throughout the town looking good is something we can and should all be part of.

2066 and all that

2011-06-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

Speaking at the opening of the new Stade cafe

What will Hastings and St Leonards look like in 50 years time – that was the theme of a seminar I chaired and addressed on 17th June. Hastings 2066 was the working title for the day and the task was to discuss how we might adapt to climate change and how individually and collectively we might make our contribution to limiting it.

The seminar’s thinking will feed into the drafting by the Autumn of a climate change action plan for the town which after wide consultation will be adopted in early 2012.

And the consultation needs to be wide. There were about 50 of us at the seminar, all interested and motivated people, several with real knowledge and expertise. But there were no young people there; not enough mainstream businesses or retailers and the community representation only came from certain parts of town – no-one from the Old Town or from the town centre.

But Hastings 2066 is just the sort of idea that really could inspire people especially younger people. So that’s the challenge for us.

Here are some the points I made about Hastings 2066

• Most of homes that will exist then are already here. We need a massive environmental retrofit. And not just for the 47% of private housing that is pre-1919 (the national figure is 25%) we need to transform those 1950s – 1970s social housing too.

• We need to ensure that newbuild meets the zero-carbon homes target and includes environmentally friendly microgeneration of electricity

• We have an ageing population now – we need mixed tenure/mixed size housing areas where different ages can live side by side and help with each others’ needs. Lifetime homes can allow us to stay put if we chose as our mobility and needs change (every door in every new home could be wide enough for a wheelchair from the start)

• Today’s target is 200 new homes per year within the town up to 2028 but it may slow down thereafter. Will the surrounding area have to take up the slack?

• To meet these needs for new homes and new employment space between now and 2066 we will have to face the challenge of conserving everything or conserving the best. We are already talking of a world heritage site bid for Hastings Old Town

• Of course we will protect our Country Park, really develop the Pebsham Countryside Park and protect important urban green space. But are we prepared to accept the visual impact of major local power generation – wind turbines, solar farms or tidal power

• Well before 2066 Hastings must become a zero waste community – recycling food waste, wood, glass etc

• Transport to and within the borough has to be transformed – of course better opportunities for walking and cycling but what about electric vehicles, light rail or tracked hovercraft and what about reducing the need to travel

• How will we adapt to the threat of rising sea levels – a restored Pier, the Stade development, the opportunities at West Marina and many of our own homes mean we have to hold the line but that comes at a cost

• Won’t we increasingly be enjoying E-living between now and 2066? Tele-care can transform people’s ability to stay in their own homes as their care needs change; live/work homes change lifestyles for some, internet shopping, E-learning, E-democracy, virtual meetings are all on the agenda now

• Will the spread of nanotechnology really allow for ‘pollution free’ manufacturing

• Increasingly we are already facing impermanent employment with the need for adaptable skills during all of our lifetimes

• If there will be increased leisure won’t there be a opportunity for Hastings with its art, culture, heritage although tourism of course means travel!

• Socially we must narrow the income and social divide, everyone must feel an equal responsibility for the town’s (the country’s, the planet’s) future and we must end the digital divide

• I look forward to a town in 2066 of community stakeholders all with the time, interest and opportunity to participate in planning its progress.

Is all that wildly idealistic or hopelessly moderate? This debate is for everyone. Join in now and certainly participate in the climate change action plan consultation.

Ambitious plans for coming year

2011-05-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 19th May I presented the programme for the year to the annual council meeting - which endorsed it. Here is a precis of what I said courtesy of the council's highly efficient marketing department.

* Time to look back on achievements of last 12 months and forward to our plans for next 12 months

* This time last year full council voted on a programme for the year based upon what we had successfully put to the electorate

* Much progress in implementing this programme

* Planning Forums - been approved will be used for all larger planning applications from now on

* Equalities Charter - accepted by all major partners in borough, public sign up at town conference in September

* Additional tough licensing of houses in multiple occupation - out for consultation goes to June cabinet

* CPO empty homes - working through first five, preparing next list

* Anti-poverty strategy - goes to September cabinet

* Culture of openness - all chief officer salaries and member allowances on website

* Take cultural activity into the community - 8ft sq project out there now

* Extend promenade cycle route - our element will happen in July

* Improve leisure facilities - £750 000 invested to improve Summerfields

* As council we met our 10:10 carbon reduction target

* Not met every target - local contracts will now become area management plans and we failed to retain the highways agreement, which was taken from us by ESCC

* Most prominent recent success - we been active partners with HPWRT in their HLF bid. We spent £700 000 on Pier and the CPO process will now really move forward; we have committed a further £250 000 from HBC towards the funding HPWRT have to find

* Pier not just important for itself but for realising seafront strategy, there is huge potential of Stade/Jerwood/Pier in improving our seafront offer

* We hope that a business may be going into White Rock Baths next few months

* We will review our regeneration action plan

* Maintain the regeneration company and its programme despite no longer receiving government funding

* FLAG - up to £1.2m to support our fishing industry

* Review how we market Hastings as visitor and business location

* Go for world heritage site for the Old Town

* We have a housing action plan

* Local Space with initial £2m to buy, refurbish & manage properties in Central St Leonards

* We will invest £1m to act as guarantor on mortgage deposits for first time buyers who otherwise couldn't raise the sum needed

* Working with Amicus the Malvern pub and shops will be acquired for major housing redevelopment

* We will reinvigorate our environmental action plan

* Take recycling campaign into areas that lagging behind - starting in Tile Barn area of Hollington

* Consult on new methods of collection in black bag areas as prelude to joint waste contract

* Campaign against dog fouling will include a responsible owners campaign starting in Alexandra Park

* Grotbusters will hit their 500th building improved

* We have an equalities action plan to include publication of an access guide to hotels, shops, cafes etc

* All this and rest of corporate plan in context severe financial constraints, with almost 50% being cut from our Government grant over the next three years

* Be hard-pressed to find another council of our size with a bigger work programme

* Despite all financial pressures we remain ambitious and optimistic

Save our Pier

2011-05-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

The night of the fire - the Pier can rise from the ashes

So the Heritage Lottery Fund has backed the rescue of Hastings Pier. That’s great news for the town and a huge tribute to the campaigners in the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust who have put some much time and effort into this.

Now of course the really hard but potentially very exciting work starts.

HLF have awarded £375,000 to the Trust as the down payment on the full £8.75 million that was asked for. But the Trust is expected to use the £375,000 to build up a sustainable business plan and a totally convincing project that will then unlock the full award.

So there has to be a financially convincing plan drawn up to show how the Pier can be managed and maintained in the long-term. There has to be a clear indication that businesses will decide to operate on the Pier to create the income that will pay for the long-term maintenance.

There has to be a detailed design for what will now be built on top of the listed sub-structure and this has to receive its planning and listed building permission.

Perhaps even more challenging than all this – the Pier Trust has to raise 10% of the £8.75 million itself. Hastings has to show it really does want the Pier restored by raising £875,000.

The council has earmarked £250,000 as part of this match-funding but there will need to be a lot of sponsored planks to raise the rest. It really is up to local people to do their bit.

The council has actually spent around £700,000 in all on the Pier – clearing the debris and the most dangerous bits of metal and wood after the fire, paying for the architects to prepare the new plans and securing the most vulnerable middle section so there isn’t a collapse before the HLF money can start being spent.

And of course the council has agreed to compulsorily purchase the structure and then to pass its ownership on to the Pier Trust.

There are still risks and pitfalls. There are certainly still big challenges but the HLF’s decision is the best news we could have hoped for and makes the rescue of Hastings Pier a real possibility.

Stand up for Hastings

2011-04-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

Opening the new Stade Hall community facility in the Old Town

As we all know there are “lies, damned lies and statistics” – to quote the 19th century prime minister Disraeli. One of the latest set of statistics suggests that Hastings has gone from the 31st most deprived town in the country in 2007 to the 19th in 2010. So are we really going backwards?

Well the 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation is based on figures collected in 2008 – three years ago. And education is one of the areas included and our GCSE results have been transformed in those three years. Hillcrest got the most improved results in the country.

Also there are 25 less local authorities than in 2007 – so Hastings is 19th out of 326 rather than 31st our of 354.

But of course the facts do tell us something:

• Hastings is still economically and socially challenged.

• Turning round decades of decline takes quite a time.

• We still need the extra boost that external funds (from government, Europe, lottery) can give us.

So of course we are disappointed that the government has put back a decision on financing the Hastings-Bexhill Link Road till the end of the year. And we feel the same that Hastings £8 million bid to the government’s Regional Growth Fund was turned down. The government sent nearly all of the money to the North but it is the government’s league table which put us at 19th most deprived.

Over the last ten years I can honestly say we made Hastings known in the corridors of power. That’s why we got our regeneration money, our university and our brand new further education college. Today standing up for Hastings is still a vital task.

And wherever I go round the town there are individuals and groups in the community doing just that.

The Hastings fishermen are continuing their fight against the unfairness of the quota system on smaller, under ten metre fleets. Sustaining our fishing industry isn’t just about protecting the jobs involved it’s about preserving an important part of the character of the town.

Hastings Trust is still hoping to receive £4.2 million from the government to invest in St Mary in the Castle as a youth managed cultural facility. And the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust will be hearing very soon about their bid to restore our pier.

Hastings is full of active, committed people determined to make it a better place – whatever those statistics say.

Big Society is alive and well and living in Hastings

2011-03-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Addressing the Pier Trust's 'party on the prom'

Fresh from their success in ‘adopting’ our seafront roundabout BBC Newsnight is returning to its story on the Big Society using Hastings as the backdrop. Whatever you thought about the programme and whether it illuminated the political issues at all it actually showed our town and its people in a pretty good light.

Hastings and St Leonards can boast a level of volunteering and community activity that most other places can only dream of. The local authority and other public bodies couldn’t possibly take on all the events local people organise themselves and nor would we want to. And if the Big Society means anything then surely this is it.

I said this to the Newsnight team. I told them to come down and watch the Half Marathon – I energetically watched it from a seafront café! It’s organised by volunteers and the runners are doing their bit to support voluntary and charitable bodies.

I told them to come down on May Day which we are all campaigning to keep as a public holiday. Come and watch the Jack-in-Green parade organised by local, committed volunteers. I suppose the bikers who ride down here on the same day do it voluntarily too.

My diary over the last few weeks has been filled with attending events, big and small – all arranged by volunteers.

I enjoyed the prize giving concert at the Hastings Musical Festival; I attended the International Women’s Day event; I spoke at a Burton’s St Leonards Society public meeting; I visited Xtrax to celebrate their achievements; I paid a visit to the Fellowship of St Nicholas; I went along to the launch of a new residents’ association in St Leonards and we officially opened the Stade Hall community facility which will be managed by the local community. How much more big society can we get?

And of course I addressed the ‘party on the promenade’ organised by the Pier Trust and joined in with the trustees in putting our case for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund representatives when they came down.

Volunteers are never going to empty the rubbish bins, determine planning applications or enforce parking controls – the local authority has to do all that. But local people organising and running local groups and events are vital to the life of the town and have been for many, many years.

Still ambitious and optimistic

2011-03-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Enjoying Chinese New Year in the Priory Meadow

Well the budget has been set and those months of agonising are over for now. But we are still staring at a 50% reduction in our grant from government by 2013 – that equates to £70 less grant for every man, woman and child in the borough.

For the coming year the museum will close one day a week, the charge for collecting garden waste will rise from £37.50 to £40 a year, car parking charges will go up and in the Country Park they will be introduced for the first time - £1 a day but with the opportunity for Hastings residents to buy a £25 annual season ticket. There will be a 6.3% cut in the money the council gives out to voluntary groups.

Thankfully we have been able to limit the number of compulsory job losses in the council to about four. And I really want to thank all our staff who have had to put up with a lot of uncertainty and worry over the last few months. I am really pleased that the staff trade union representatives felt they wanted to thank us publicly for trying to minimise the impact of the cut in government funding.

But it’s not just been within the council that difficult decisions are having to be made. The government’s ending of area based grants (the extra money given to Hastings to tackle its extra needs) has ended some really valuable activities.

The advice agencies helping people with financial or benefit problems were given additional money to tackle additional demand – that has now ended. So will the Best project that enabled Sussex Coast College, Hastings to pay community organisations to organise basic training for those who lacked the rudimentary skills employers look for. There are other projects that promoted work experience and support for those trying to start a business for the first time. They too will just end.

Despite all this we remain an ambitious council and I remain optimistic for Hastings. The budget still allocates £750,000 for home adaptations for people with disabilities. It still includes £250,000 to start compulsory purchases of empty homes. And we have still found £250,000 to help the Pier trust find the match funding they need for their lottery bid. In fact just before the budget meeting the council met to agree to commence the compulsory purchase of Hastings Pier.

Elsewhere the Stade open space and new community centre are nearly ready. The Jerwood gallery continues to come out of the ground and will make us a nationally important cultural destination. The second phase of University Centre Hastings will be ready for the student intake in September.

And thanks to public money nationally and locally Saga have located their insurance business in Hastings. They have started work and intend to create 800 jobs in our town.

Along with all the other positives in our town – the promenade, the sea, the countryside, the architecture, the people – we have got a lot going for us, despite the damaging spending cuts we are seeing around us.

Hastings - the place to be

2011-01-31T02:13:00.000-08:00

Out in the Hastings Country Park

Struggling through the council’s budget-setting process it has been easy to forget that outside the confines of the Town Hall there is a whole borough with all the richness and interest that we all treasure. This last weekend I was able to savour just some of what makes Hastings such a special place.

On Saturday morning I attended the Holocaust Memorial Service which the council sponsors. Although part of a national and international commemoration what brought it to life was the link to people and families living here in Hastings.

The theme of this year’s event was ‘Untold Stories’. One story was told for the first time by someone I have known for many years but what he recounted was totally unknown to me. As a Jew his own grandmother was a victim of the Nazi’s persecution. The family had moved around German-speaking Europe trying to find safety. His mother spent much of the war in Holland in hiding from their persecutors. His grandfather had found work in Britain but never saw his wife again.

Then a more contemporary story was told about the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. The former Bishop of Cyangugu in Rwanda spoke vividly of the horror of mass murder usually carried out by machete. And he is now living in Battle.

As a contrast in the afternoon I wrapped up well for a walk in our great Country Park where perhaps some of those moving personal experiences from the morning could be put at the back of one’s mind. It might have been cold but the views are always stunning – glimpsing the harbour arm as it peeks out beyond the cliffs and glens or just looking out on the empty vastness of the Channel.

I then called in for the second half of Hastings United latest game and unfortunately latest defeat but the banter with staff and supporters is always a winner.

Saturday evening I was in Gurkha Palace being well looked after as usual by Bijay and co.

Sunday I was in our refurbished Falaise gym. Then in the evening I went to the Electric Palace cinema where I think I knew half the audience. The Electric Palace does a brilliant job bringing us films that don’t always get shown on general release in our local mainstream cinemas.

I finished the evening in a High Street pub chatting to Old Town residents and business people who were really positive about the future for Hastings.

When you can enjoy all this in just one weekend who would want to live anywhere else

What's the future for Hastings

2011-01-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

On 13th January I attended two events sixty miles apart (not of course at the same time). They were apparently unrelated but both impact directly on our town.

At lunchtime I participated in a delegation from councils in East Sussex to meet with Bob Neil one of the ministers in the Communities and Local Government department. Our brief was to explain first-hand the difficulties the government’s funding deal for councils is causing us.

In the evening I was speaking at the welcome event for Saga. They have taken the whole building at 1 Priory Square and recruited and trained their first 45 employees who had started taking customers' calls that day. The plan is to grow the Hastings workforce to 800.

The spending cuts mean that in 2011/12 the council will receive £2.3m less government grant, and in 2012/13 we’ll be losing a further £1.6m. That’s a 30% reduction over two years one of the worst in the country.

The government has made available a pot of money to support our transition to becoming the smaller council they intend us to become, but this money is only available for two years. By the start of 2013/14 we will need to have reduced our annual expenditure by a £2m.

Over the 3 year period from 2011/12 to 2013/14 we will see our government grant cut in half from £12.7m to £6.6m - a loss of £70 for every person in the borough.

However, I made a pledge to do everything to limit both compulsory redundancies and cuts to the key services local people have said they value the most. I expect compulsory redundancies to be in single figures only but do recognise the pain it can mean for each of those staff members.

As for local residents we held a Big Conversation with them before Xmas to hear what services they value the most and we have taken the results into account when setting the budget.

Residents told us that they the particularly valued those council services that affected their everyday lives – that kept their street clean and safe, that dealt with litter and refuse, tackled derelict and empty buildings and provided free public toilets. They also valued those activities aimed at making Hastings more prosperous and at creating jobs for local people.

And Saga of course does just that. They will become the largest private sector employer in a town with high levels of public sector employment that is clearly vulnerable to the spending cuts.

Despite our serious budget problems there are still positives in Hastings. In addition to Saga, the nationally regarded Jerwood Gallery and the Stade open space will be ready for business by the Autumn. University Centre Hastings phase two will be opening its doors in September taking higher education numbers in the town to 1,000. We have a new further education college and academic results in our schools continue to rise.

I’m terribly disappointed about the cuts to the council, to our staff and to what we can offer the public; but I’m still optimistic for Hastings.

2011 here we come

2011-01-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

Celebrating New Year's Eve on the beach at St Leonards

For me Hastings is a great place to celebrate the festive season. Kids, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law etc all on the beach on New Year’s Eve watching our fireworks go up (and other people’s which are usually better!). My family went to the pantomime and agreed it was one of the best we have had.

I hope other Hastings residents had a relaxing time too, But now we begin a new year and what will it mean for our town?

I was born and bred in Hastings. I have seen the setbacks like when the Bathing Pool closed, or when ITT and then Philips left town, or the times Hastings United have been relegated and of course the burning down of the Pier. And I have seen our successes too like the 900th celebration of our most famous year of 1066, the opening of Priory Meadow and of course our nationally funded regeneration programme bringing us the new college and the new health centre, the university and the new office spaces one of which will be filled with 800 Saga jobs.

And there are some real positives ahead in 2011 for Hastings. The nationally regarded Jerwood Gallery and the Stade open space will be ready for business by the Autumn. University Centre Hastings phase two will be opening its doors in September, while our refurbished sports centre and swimming pool will re-open this month. The council will be preparing compulsory purchases of the first six on its list of long-term empty homes and of course we await news on the Pier and remain ready to compulsory purchase it if funding appears likely.

But there is a black cloud hanging over the next 12 months and the next few years with the huge reduction in Hastings Borough Council’s funding from central government – the largest of any council in the country. This will very seriously impact on the services we provide and the jobs we can offer. I am not looking forward to presenting this year’s budget although I will do everything to limit compulsory redundancies and cuts to the key services local people have said they value the most.

Whatever happens I remain proud to represent the unique township of Hastings. The town is most of all its people. There's quirkiness about our town and perhaps edginess. There's a strong cultural scene in the town. Hastings isn’t just for Christmas.

End of year report

2010-12-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

The year has not ended too well. Snow and ice have left some residents marooned in their homes or badly disrupted their travel plans. Although council staff and our contractors have done their best with clearing pavements and important roads.

The year hasn’t ended well for Hastings Borough Council either with the news that we are in the premier league of councils facing the maximum cut in government grant. Unfortunately no-one can clear that problem from our doorstep – we are left with it.

But as to the 12 months just ending, after the May elections the council adopted a new programme for the year and significant progress has been made in a number of the commitments it included.

The council has agreed to compulsorily purchase seven homes that have been left empty for between six and 17 years. In fact one has already been sold and the council will now be checking to make sure the new owner brings it back into use promptly.

We expect to bring in an additional tough licensing scheme for privately rented accommodation to protect tenants from bad landlords as we committed.

Progress is being made on the adoption of an anti-poverty strategy that was promised – it will be out for consultation in the Spring. Work has also started on an equalities charter. Councillors and the Disability Forum toured the town centre to check on the access for disabled people.

A report will go to the January cabinet to establish a system of planning forums where developers of big projects will meet with the local community before they submit their final planning application.

We have introduced a new culture of openness into the Town Hall. The council now published online details of all expenditure over £500 and the salaries of top council officers, as well as the register of members’ interests.

The council has listened to public priorities and got tough on fly-tippers, flyposters and on dog-owners who don’t clear up after their animals – remember the “we’re not taking your s**t any more” campaign in the Summer.

We pledged to compulsorily purchase Hastings Pier and are prepared to see it through along with the Pier Trust’s bid for heritage lottery money. The council has of course paid for the clear-up and demolition of the wreckage and for keeping the site secure.

We also pledged to continue support for Active Hastings which brings fitness opportunities for different parts to the town. With that support they have just been awarded another £275,000. On top of that a major refurbishment is currently underway at Summerfields sports centre.

We also promised to rebuild public trust and confidence in politics. I hope the Big Conversation with its 2,500 responses and how we now handle the budget pressures will go some way to achieving this.

But whatever is thrown at us our principles stand – of valuing staff, doing our best to protect the vulnerable and making sure Hastings continues to improve.

Hastings weathers the storm

2010-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday evening I was worrying as my partner had not made it home from South East London. She finally arrived about 10.00pm after an eight-hour drive hitting speeds of five miles per hour on the M25 and passing stationary lorries stranded in the middle lane. Friends told me similar nightmare tales from train journeys down to Hastings that night. There were no Hastings trains at all on December 1st or 2nd.

Hastings and St Leonards can look great in the snow. There are numerous pretty pictures of snow-clad beaches, cliffs and woods. But severe weather can be a very trying and nerve-racking experience for many people.

But what about Hastings Borough Council? We had to abandon refuse collections as it would be a hazard for the crews and because a 30 tonne waste freighter going down a heavily iced steep cul-de-sac would be a potential danger to every other vehicle parked there.

Instead the street sweepers, waste crews and parks and gardens teams were mobilised to clear and salt pavements in the main shopping areas like the town centre, Central St Leonards, Ore Village and Silverhill. I have received several comments from residents and traders saying how well this has been done and that it has made getting around easier than last year.

In the light of last Winter’s experience the council agreed to purchase its own modest stocks of salt precisely for these pavements and also for those individual roads that are the only entrance points to residential or industrial estates. Those plans were put into operation last week.

Of course there were still people stranded in their own homes, unable or too frightened to venture out on untreated roads and pavements.

The County Council as the highway authority has the duty of keeping roads clear and it determines which roads are salted and snow-ploughed. After discussion of last year’s experience it has included the roads leading to the bus garage on its routes. You can check their gritting routes via: http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/roads/maintenance/saltingandgritting/find/default.aspx

The County Council told me on Friday 3rd December: “All of our gritters and snow ploughs were out yesterday evening before we rested the drivers over night, having worked continuously for almost 24 hours. They were out again early this morning and have just gone out again salting and ploughing all primary and secondary routes.”

By that Friday they had used 3,200 tonnes of salt around the county. Unfortunately heavy snow kept falling on top of the salt that had been put down.

The County Council did point out to me: “We continue to receive calls from members of the public asking why their roads have not been gritted or salted; when in reality they have been. When we clear snow we have to ensure the snow plough blade does not come into contact with the road surface or we risk snagging cats-eyes and man-hole covers. Consequently snow ploughing does leave a thin layer of snow behind which is salted and then relies on vehicle actions to churn and melt the snow.”

As a thaw hopefully sets in we do need to look whether Hastings Borough Council can still do things better within the resources available. Also we need to continue discussing with the County Council whether the gritting routes they cover are adequate and the most appropriate to help as many people as possible. And we do need to urge residents to do their bit to clear the paths outside their own front door and perhaps outside any more vulnerable neighbour.

But can I thank everyone who did their bit as council staff, our contractors or as ordinary residents to try assist the people of the town during those difficult days.

Here is the news

2010-11-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

With BBC journalists exercising their right to strike regular news bulletins have been disrupted. So here is the news for Hastings:

The bad news

• On the A21, two schemes (Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst and Flimwell to Robertsbridge) were cancelled in the coalition government’s Comprehensive Spending Review, as was the Baldslow Link;

• The Review also announced a 28% cut in local council funding over the next four years. Hastings Borough Council has been holding a Big Conversation with residents to find out their spending priorities;

• With 43% of Hastings employment in the public sector the town could be particularly vulnerable to public spending cuts;

• The government is also capping housing benefit payments from 1st April 2011 which could see a migration to cheaper accommodation in Hastings of claimants priced out of London

The uncertain news

• The government’s decision on the Hastings to Bexhill Link Road means there will be a minimum wait of 12 months before a final decision is made. There is a £600m pot for 22 or more schemes to bid against. The Link Road itself costing £100m is one of these schemes. The government is asking local authorities to consider other funding possibilities;

• The A21 Tonbridge to Pembury dualling is now in a Future Schemes list which will have to wait for the comprehensive spending review after 2015;

• Funding has been approved for the Hastings Academy new build on the Hillcrest secondary school site. For the St Leonards academy an announcement on the substantial refurbishment funding is still awaited;

• Seeda and the other regional development agencies have been abolished to be replaced by local enterprise partnerships. Hastings will be part of the Kent/Essex/East Sussex Local Enterprise Partnership and will press that body to recognise our particular needs;

• The government has set up a new regeneration funding pot – the Regional Growth Fund with £1.4 bill over three years (about a third of the funds that the regional development agencies had). The first round of bids have to be in by 21st January 2011 and Hastings will hope to be part of a successful bid;

• The campaign to save Hastings Pier continues despite the devastating fire. Hopefully we can convince heritage funders to back the restoration;

The good news

• Saga have taken the new office space at 1 Priory Square and will be providing 800 jobs;

• Hastings Direct have expanded their numbers;

• House builders Bellway are on site to starting the first 51 homes as part of the Ore Valley development scheme. This will also see a new road leading to an opened up Ore Station;

• The first four units on the environmental business park off Queensway have been taken;

• The construction of the prestigious Jerwood gallery and the performance space, community facilities and café are now well underway with a September 2011 opening;

• The council views cultural regeneration as a key priority and believes that Hastings is better placed than other south east coastal towns

• The possibilities for Hastings town centre look really bright with the new Sussex Coast College, Station Plaza Health Centre and now the second phase of University Centre Hastings under construction and due to open in September 2011 which will see a total of 1,000 higher education students in the town.

What the cuts mean for Hastings

2010-10-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

So now we know the worst. Government support to local councils is to be cut by 28% over the next four years. That is more than our worst case planning.

Hastings Borough Council has been working through the impacts of a possible 25% cut by 2014/15 but it is going to be bigger than that. And reductions of that scale cannot be made by efficiencies.

Of course the council must make itself as efficient as possible but a 28% reduction can only mean the council doing less than it does now. Some services may just have to stop, others seriously cut back.

Inevitably there will be less staff working for the council in five years time than there are now, although I and my colleagues will do everything to restrict compulsory redundancies to as few posts as possible.

In our Big Conversation with residents and staff which ends this week we have asked for any other ideas for reducing costs. Could volunteers do more than they already do in parts of the council, could some services be provided totally differently than they are now?

Sunderland council is inviting staff to consider if they would be interested in establishing cost-saving social enterprise businesses, such as community interest companies and co-operatives, which could take over some of the services they currently work in.

It’s possible that Hastings could be hit harder than other councils. Because of our additional needs we receive an additional £3 million per year in extra grants. The main component of that is Working Neighbourhoods Fund. The Chancellor announced in his statement last week that this Fund will be abolished at the end of the financial year.

So we could face the average 28% cut for all councils and see that additional grant just stop dead in April. If this is the case then the perverse result would be areas with greatest needs taking the greatest cut.

The reductions in the government’s main funds to councils might of course be carried out differentially so Hastings is cut less than affluent parts of Surrey, but we won’t know that till December.

Even if we wanted to we can’t make up the shortfall with extra council tax rises. Next year the council tax will be frozen with the government giving us a sum equivalent to a 2.5% rise. In future years the government will set its view on what the council tax increase should be and we could only go above that if residents approved it in a referendum.

All in all this is a very difficult time and some difficult decisions will have to be made. The Big Conversation will help us but in the end I and the other councillors have the duty to set the budget and residents will have to judge if we did our best.

Pier saga

2010-10-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

When the phone goes off in the middle of the night you always expect it to be bad news. Last Monday it was – “The Pier’s on fire can you come down?” Of course I did and what I saw were orange flames many feet high devouring the ballroom.

Then they devoured the bridge section (where now there is no sign of a building ever being there), then they devoured the bingo hall section, the front and finally half of the apron buildings.

Going down many times since to speak to TV and radio there has always been a crowd of people just looking in disbelief, horror or almost paying their last respects to an old friend. The Pier really had a place in the hearts of local people because we had all been on it, many people when it really was a fun place – a real seaside attraction.

So what now? While I understand those who have set up the ‘RIP Hastings Pier’ Facebook site, let’s not read the last rites just yet.

The council has commissioned structural engineers who will be down in the next few days to investigate the extent of the damage to the cast iron columns and the substructure. And of course it is what’s underneath that is the Victorian heritage that made the Pier a listed building. What was on top dated from many different eras, even from 1999/2000.

If the substructure is sound the Pier Trust and the council may still be able to find external funders who are committed to preserving the architectural heritage of the Pier. It would take a lot of investment but clearly the only way to maintain that heritage is then to rebuild on top to earn an income from visitors and townspeople alike.

There are no guarantees but we get nowhere without optimism and commitment and the Pier Trust has plenty of that.

So of course those very photogenic pictures of the fire took the front page of the Observer. Any other week the announcement of 800 new jobs for the town would have been the headline.

Saga will become the largest private sector employer in the town. They are purchasing a new office development in the town centre built by the local regeneration company – Seaspace. Work will now start to fit-out the building with Saga planning to start business there by the New Year. The staff will be employed by Saga’s expanding insurance business.

This is the best possible news for the town. After the tragedy of the Pier fire the announcement of substantial new job opportunities is lifting spirits locally. We really welcome Saga, we welcome the jobs and the boost they will bring to the local economy.

The success in attracting Saga proves the validity of the regeneration programme. The town centre office space was built precisely to attract quality businesses to Hastings – in Saga we have got just that.

I believe Hastings is really on the up. 800 new jobs on the way, the nationally significant Jerwood gallery due to open next year, the university centre second phase going up before our eyes. And we still haven’t given up on Hastings Pier

Big Conversation - we're listening

2010-10-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Big Conversation is well and truly under way. 1,200 questionnaires have been returned already and it runs till the end of the month. I have never known any consultation the council has conducted that has achieved this sort of result.

I am really pleased it has because it shows just how much local people care about public services and how they understand the difficulty we as councillors have responding to the cuts the government is planning.

But it’s not just the questionnaires it’s the chance to talk with residents. Last Saturday we took the Big Conversation to Kings Road. Some people wanted to talk to us about other matters – parking, dog fouling and individual concerns they had – and that’s fine. But overwhelmingly people appreciated that we were consulting them. Many had filled the forms out already, others did on the spot. There are other dates and venues coming up and they are all on the council website. Do come along if you want to chat to us.

But what about those thorny questions:

How much has it costed and where’s the money come from? Writing to every household has cost £17,000, but how else do you really reach everyone. The money had already been put in this year’s budget by the previous council leadership. They wanted to employ an outside company to do detailed market research interviews with 250 residents. I would rather speak to 2,500 and do the job in-house.

Are you really going to listen? We will publish the results of the Big Conversation, so when we finally set the budget everyone can see whether we listened. But in determining the budget we will also be looking at the priorities we put before the electorate back in May, the exact financial position which we don’t yet know and the implications of decisions – no point in cutting a service only to find it costs more somewhere else.

There’s not enough detail, especially on cost of services. There’s only so much information you can get into a four-page form and anything bigger might have meant less people would have had the time to read it. If anyone wants more information let us know, either in person at the Big Conversation events or E-mail bigconversation@hastings.gov.uk

Haven’t you already decided what you you’re going to do, like closing the Information Centre? The suggestion that we are just going to get rid of an information centre and the staff in it is utter and complete rubbish. I guarantee we will be keeping an information centre in the town and staffing it. There has been a discussion about whether we could relocate it. But when we are looking at spending cuts we would be wrong not to consider options. No decision has been made on possible relocation and I very much welcome residents’ comments as part of the Big Conversation.

Isn’t the council overstaffed, so why not just cut the numbers? We will have to look at every council service whether it is a statutory or discretionary to see if it can be provided more efficiently. The Big Conversation asks for comments on particular services and how much residents value them. They are all of course provided by council staff. Reducing any of those services means reducing the council staff who provide them. The question is what services are most essential or most valued.

Any other questions just ask away but most important use the Big Conversation to let us know what you think.

The art of budgeting

2010-09-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Is this art; is it graffiti; should it be preserved; should it be cleaned off? Whatever your view it was certainly news. Once it was confirmed as a genuine Banksy, the council made sure it was protected.

Along with Ben Eine’s mural on Norman Road Hastings could boast works by the two best known street artists in the country. Other towns must have been green with envy when the read about it in the papers.

Our town really hit the headlines this Summer with more than 6,000 pirates smashing the world record and Newsnight ‘adopting’ one of our roundabouts. We must have got more column inches in the national press and more TV time than any other town of our size.

And if Hastings comes across as a bit different, a bit quirky then that’s our unique selling point.

But as Autumn creeps in our minds are turning to more challenging issues. The government has announced there will be serious reductions in spending for local councils. We don’t know how serious but we are having to plan for a 25% reduction in income over the next four years and we want your help in determining how it will have to be done.

When we were elected we promised to “Involve local people in debating alternative options” so we will be holding a Big Conversation with the people of the town. We want to hear your thoughts.

What should our priorities be? What services do you value the most and would least like to see cut?

Perhaps you feel passionately that maintaining our parks and open spaces is a necessity or perhaps you’ve got some ideas on how we can cut back our spending in this area.

Over the coming few weeks you should have a letter through your door explaining how to contribute to the Big Conversation. We are organising road shows at a shopping centre near you – Tesco’s, the Priory Meadow. Kings Road. And there will be ‘meet the leader’ sessions around the town.

We want you to feel you have all your questions answered and all the information you need to give us a really informed view. And of course you can always find more information about on our website: www.hastings.gov.uk.

When we finally set the budget with however much money we are left with we will be guided by – your comments in this consultation and what we promised to deliver when we were elected

Don't let Hastings go to the dogs

2010-08-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Is this poster offensive? It’s being pasted on to the council’s billboards along the seafront and elsewhere. But will it help change the culture of owners allowing their animals to foul the pavement/beach/park (delete where applicable)?

Its all part of the council’s get tough approach to dog fouling, litter, flytipping etc that we outlined in the programme for the year adopted at the annual council meeting just after the elections in May.

Now I enjoy discussing world affairs or our vision for Hastings but I appreciate that when I knock on residents’ doors what they often want to talk about is what they see when that front door is opened – and dog fouling is part of their daily experience and they expect the council to act. So we will.

The new hard-hitting posters, the car stickers with the same wording, some friendlier but equally challenging stickers for children and the street stalls being held round the town mark the get tough campaign.

I helped out at the street stall in the town centre on 14th August and everyone I spoke to was happy with the message and the wording – many took car stickers so they must agree with what is being said.

But does the council really do anything about it – well 250 on the spot fines have been handed out in the last two years at £75 a time and that’s before the get tough campaign has kicked in.

Of course it can be difficult to catch some of the culprits (that’s the irresponsible owner not the dog). So if there’s a particular time when you know this happens in your area let the council know (0800 0854 500)and the community officers (or wardens as many know them) will come along at that time in plain clothes and take whatever action is required.

Similar steps are being taken with flyposting. Pubs and bars are being written to and told that if there is flyposting that advertises events in their premises they can be prosecuted.

Cleaning up the town is what the overwhelming majority of local people want but it’s also part of making Hastings more prosperous. If we want people to visit, move here, open a business here then we can’t tolerate rubbish or dog fouling on our streets.

As someone said to me on the street stall - it’s not the poster that’s offensive but what she has to walk around on the pavement is.

Meeting the community

2010-07-30T08:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening July 17th I was to be found controlling the road barrier at the junction of St Margaret’s Road and Warrior Square (East) – the council leader really was manning a barricade. It was the St Leonards festival and as a local Central St Leonards councillor I was happy to do my stint as a steward. Now we look forward to Old Town Week. In fact every weekend there are events, festivals, fetes etc.

What they all have in common is that members of the community run them. The council might help out with publicity or road closures but if it wasn’t for volunteers giving up their time and effort none of them would happen.

Along with deputy leader Cllr Jay Kramer I have been meeting with voluntary groups over the last week. We have seen the Community Network, the Intercultural Organisation, the Rainbow Alliance, the Senior’s Forum, the Youth Council, the Inter-faith Forum, and the Disability Forum. We haven’t necessarily finished there. If any other community organisation would like to meet with us let us know.

The aim of the meetings was for us as the newly re-elected council leadership to outline our vision and plans. The policies we stood for election on have now been endorsed by the council and we believe we have a mandate to implement them. But we also wanted to hear the plans and priorities of these various groups and see where we could collaborate.

The discussions were very illuminating. The need for meeting places was a common theme and the need to be properly involved and not just treated as a consultation box to be ticked was raised. But they all welcomed the chance to let the council leadership know first hand what they felt.

However, we had another job – to make the community sector aware of the serious financial challenge facing the council and the town. With the government’s intention to cut public spending we are having to plan for a 25% cut in the council’s income. No area of our activity can be untouchable; we have to review everything we do.

But we want the people of Hastings to help us prioritise these activities. In September and October we will be holding a big conversation giving every resident the chance to tell us what council services they value the most and would least like to see reduced.

So when you see us out on all the community events feel free to let us know right now where you would like money to be directed in this difficult financial climate.

The photo shows myself and Mayor Cllr Kim Forward with artist Maggi Hambling, gallery director-designate Liz Gilmore and Jerwood Foundation chair Alan Grieve at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jerwood Gallery on the Stade.

Cleaning up Hastings (including roundabouts)

2010-07-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

I have ritually handed over the ‘keys’ to the Pelham roundabout (that’s the one with the fountain) to BBC Newsnight. To try and show what the ‘Big Society’ means, armed with a broom, they have adopted it. If they don’t actually do anything I will be writing to the Director General demanding some action. Our roundabout it not to be messed with!

In the real world we have be getting tougher on keeping Hastings clean. And there are two reasons why we need to. As residents we all have a right to expect it. But it’s also about presenting an image to visitors and would-be investors that Hastings and St Leonards is their sort of place. Dealing with litter, dogs, street drinking, tatty buildings etc is part of creating a more prosperous town.

So with other councillors and council officers I repeated the seafront ‘grotbuster’ walk that I first did in 2000.

I noted down every building needing repair or redecoration and owners will now receive a letter encouraging them to take action. Failing to respond could result in enforcement action. If you own a building in our town you have a social responsibility for its upkeep.

When we did the first seafront walk we noted the derelict hulks of the Queen’s Hotel, Regent Court and the Marlborough, plus other smaller eyesores too. All those have been dealt with and the seafront looks much better. But with the salt air, buildings in this prominent location need regular maintenance and improvement.

A high profile walk sets the tone and reminds everyone what we expect. The ‘grotbusters’ are on the case.

Then I had a meeting with our local police commander Chief Inspector Mark Ling to agree a get tough approach to street drinking and begging. We get complaints from residents who feel intimidated by groups of drinkers and by aggressive begging. They also complain of offensive behaviour by individual drinkers.

A dispersal area has been declared on the promenade enabling the police to move drinkers on and this is being enforced. Twenty two of the thirty four anti-social behaviour orders in the town have been issued to street drinkers.

At the meeting we agreed to step up the joint enforcement activity between the police, the council and other agencies. We want a harder line to be taken by off-licenses with habitual drinkers. Just like the Bar Watch scheme, which agrees that named individuals will not be served in town centre pubs, so off-licenses will be pressed not to serve the well-known street drinkers? Habitual Drink Orders will be considered which make it an offence to sell alcohol to a named habitual drinker.

There are now more detox opportunities and improved funding for those organisations working with drinkers and we want to encourage street drinkers to take up these opportunities.

Finally during the Summer months we will be launching a crack-down against dog fouling with some pretty hard-hitting posters and leaflets. Keep your eyes open – otherwise you might tread in something.

The photo shows me outside one of the buildings we noted down on the ‘grotbuster’ walk.

2010-07-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Leader of the council again – for a whole two months. We want to meet with everyone and they want to talk with us. We are meeting with community groups, business groups, young people etc to explain our vision for the town and to listen to what they feel should be the priorities for Hastings. (If any community group feel they would like to let us know their thoughts please get in touch). We are also going to address the whole council workforce – the people actually doing the jobs in the council are probably the real experts.

But just going round all the community events of the last few weeks – in Alexandra Park, in Broomgrove, on the West Hill or in the America Ground – residents want to tell us how they feel things could improve and we are only too happy to listen.

Should the whole of Robertson Street be pedestrianised; are begging and street drinking been tackled hard enough; has Ore Village been overlooked; couldn’t we do more with the old Waterworks Road depot site; and of course parking and many other issues too numerous to list.

It certainly takes longer walking around town when you are in control – but isn’t leadership about hearing what others have to say and trying to integrate the best ideas with the policies you were elected on.

Becoming leader in 2010 is not going to be same though as when I first took the position ten years ago. That marked the start of the major regeneration investment in the town by the government. And the council was one of the best funded nationally.

With talk of 25% or even 40% public spending cuts all that has changed. Running the council now might be less about where would we like to spend more money and rather where might we have to spend less.

This is going to affect all of us. So after the Summer holidays we are going to hold a ‘Big Conversation’ with the people of the town – tell us what your priorities would be if government grants to the council are to be seriously cut back. What are the things you would never want to see reduced? We will be using the council’s About magazine and the local media to let you know just how difficult the situation could be and for you to let us know what you think can be done.

But for now the weather is still good, there are still lots of Summer activities to enjoy and Hastings is still a great place to live.

(The photo is of me being quizzed by the Helenswood Year 9 newsroom)