First cut may not be the deepest

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

Ambitious plans for coming 12 months

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

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

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

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.

The Big Society is alive and well and living in Hastings



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 or not 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 prom’ 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



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

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

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

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.