Hastings - cultural capital of the coast?

Opening the Jerwood Gallery

Over 2,000 visitors over the first two days of being open – not a bad start for the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings. And on the evening of its first day 850 gathered on the Stade open space – despite the rain – to enjoy a performance by Fisherman’s Friends, the nationally acclaimed sea shanty singers.

What will all this really mean for Hastings? What is the quality national press saying about us?

“Art-lovers are preparing to hot foot it down to the Jerwood Gallery…the latest cultural jewel in a south coast necklace,” said the Sunday Times. “The Jerwood is a beautiful addition to the many juxtapositions – of cliff and sheds, work and distraction, ancient castle and seaside tat – that make this part of the coastline what it is,” wrote the Sunday Observer. “The art itself is wonderful. Most of the pieces are quite small and bear proper scrutiny. A number of the artists shown have worked in St Ives in Cornwall, home to a thriving artistic community and a branch of the Tate, so some of their subjects fit the Hastings seaside setting, too,” commented the Economist,

Hastings couldn’t afford to buy positive national publicity like this.

The Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate hit its annual visitor target in its first four months; Jerwood has similar potential.

 So for us it means on top of our heritage, or history, our natural setting, our promenade, our traditional seaside attractions – all the things that currently bring visitors here – we will now have a nationally significant cultural facility too.

Isn’t likely that some of those cultural visitors may want to stay for a long weekend or those short breaks that we have always been keen to encourage? That will be good news for local businesses, a number of whom are preparing for just this opportunity.

But all those positive images of Hastings don’t just have the potential to attract additional visitors; they will play their part in improving the image of our town. Businesses looking to relocate, people looking to move home, students considering where to study – they are all being given a glimpse of a Hastings that is improving, that has diverse attractions for them.

And Jerwood, alongside our many artists and cultural activists already in the town, can also make a difference to the outlook of us – the people of Hastings.

My first visit to the gallery was in the company of 50 schoolchildren. It was before there were any paintings on the walls. Those youngsters from every school in the town will be charting the progress of the gallery. But they will also be its ambassadors into their schools, into their own homes and into their communities.

They can help wet the appetites of those of us who are not in the habit of visiting galleries. Jerwood can help raise the cultural sights of Hastings people, raise all of our appreciation of what is best in art and help improve educational attainment among our children.

They were legitimately different views held about this gallery during all the discussions about whether it should go ahead. Now it is here I am sure everyone will want to make the best of it. Councillors and business people in other towns talk to me enviously about the opportunity this is bringing to Hastings.

A budget leap forward

It’s a leap year; so how did Hastings councillors spend the extra day - debating the budget and plan for the next 12 months. February 29th may only come around once every four years but council budget-setting meetings come round every year and they are never easy.


There is never enough money to do all the things we want to do. Our worry currently is whether we will have enough money going forward to do all the things we have to do.

Whatever any of us think about the government’s deficit-reduction programme local councils are suffering more than other parts of the public sector, according to Price Waterhouse Cooper. And within that, according to the Joseph Rowntree Trust, poorer councils are being hit harder than the more affluent areas. Hastings is in the top 12 for the largest percentage reduction in its revenue spending power.

The budget reports placed before councillors by our finance officers showed a 50% cut in government revenue support to the council between 2010 and 2013. For councillors and council officers this is an unprecedented reduction in income.

The toughest budget is yet to come. In a year’s time the council loses its £2 million transition grant given to those 12 most badly affected councils to help cope a little more gradually with the reductions.

Much of the budget we set on 29th February was a continuation of last year’s when 40 council posts were lost and other cuts in spending brought in. So it was little easier this time around but there was not much leeway for growth

However, I was able to recommend that the council forgoes the extra income it could gain by putting up car park charges. Town centres and the retail industry are in a fragile state at the moment, so for the coming year we will not raise our car park charges as jobs and the economy are so important. But we will have to see where we are in 12 months time.

As to the council tax I recommended the council accept the government’s council tax freeze grant which covers the equivalent of a 2.5% council tax rise. With all four levying authorities accepting the freeze grant the average Hastings household will save about £40 a year.

But the grant is only for a year whereas if the council tax went up that extra income would come in every year. So in 12 months time the cliff edge we are facing will be higher.

Even in these difficult times the council was able to agree some additional spending like £10,000 to assist with the Olympic Torch celebrations and £5,000 for a guide on the disability access of shops, cafes and bars.

The council also approved capital funds to compulsorily purchase and demolish the Malvern Pub, continue the compulsory purchase of empty properties, support the project to restore Hastings Pier, refurbish council-owned factory units and to improve the appearance of the town centre.

So no increase in council tax and no increase in charges for council car parks are the key headlines from the budget-setting meeting. But there really is a dark cloud hanging over our finances. So almost immediately we have to move on to preparing for future budgets, reviewing every area of our activity – asking ourselves can we deliver each service differently and more efficiently or even can we afford to deliver it all.