Councillor Julia Hilton

Due to the cold weather forecast over the weekend, the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) will be activated in Hastings from tomorrow (Saturday 6 January).

The council has been working with the Seaview Project to provide a place of overnight safety for rough sleepers on Saturday 6 January and Sunday 7 January.

The overnight centre will be open from 7.15pm at St Leonard's Baptist Church Hall, Chapel Park Rd, St Leonards, TN37 6HR on Saturday and Sunday.

Seaview Project on Hatherley Road will be open on the morning of Sunday 7 January to provide breakfast and showers.

People do not need to approach the council in order to access this SWEP provision.

We are continuing to offer support to rough sleepers this winter including support to find a longer- term home. If you are concerned about someone who is rough sleeping, let us know at https://thestreetlink.org.uk

Resurfacing works on Bedford Road Thursday 8 Feb.

Here's my monthly column for the Hastings Observer for January.

2024 presents big challenges but also opportunities for the council, our town and the whole country as we head for both local and general elections this year.

At the last council meeting in December an outline budget was passed which commits the council to making radical changes and huge savings to survive the financial burden imposed by the escalating homelessness crisis. The leader of the council spoke passionately of the potential power of a united council to improve the town, stressing the importance of a consensual approach to local politics.

It was a surprise therefore to hear the next day that six of the cabinet of seven, including both the leader and the deputy leader, were resigning from the Labour Party and would now stand as Hastings Independents. This leaves the council in the hands of four different groups, none of them with the numbers to control the council. There are now ten Conservatives, eight Hastings Independents, five Labour and five Greens, as well as three other independents and one Reform councillor.

This irresponsible decision leaves the council in a fragile state and currently rudderless. How can the current leader and cabinet still have the moral authority to lead the council now they no longer belong to the party that elected them to those positions?

This decision does however create an opportunity for the town to move away from the cabinet system towards a committee based structure that allows a more consensual form of politics to develop locally, something the former Labour leader of the council claims he wants to see. We have long called for a move to a committee system where all councillors have a stake in decision-making. The current instability has only made this more essential.

A unity cabinet would be a step in this direction. All four parties could use this short period before the local elections in May to come together to form a new way of working – a rainbow cabinet where all parties have equal power and responsibility.

Not everything is grim, however. Here are two current examples of positive developments in Hastings:

On 27 January at Priory Meadow, residents will be able to help shape the plans for greening our town centre, part of wider aspirations to build on all the great greening projects that are already going on across the town.

In December I was pleased to be able to take part in the first gathering of the Hastings Housing Alliance, a network of local housing coops, community-led housing, and homeless charities. This will be co-designing – in cooperation with the council – a housing strategy for Hastings that has community-led housing at its heart. This is a great example of how the council can become more of an enabler, creating a town where everyone can flourish, knowing they have that basic human right: a safe, warm and secure home.

The Bale House- Health & Habitats Walk Join us for a Health & Habitats Walk, where we'll explore nature and boost our well-being

Due to the cold weather forecast over the weekend, the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) will be activated in Hastings from tomorrow (Saturday 6 January).
The council has been working with the Seaview Project to provide a place of overnight safety for rough sleepers on Saturday 6 January and Sunday 7 January.
The overnight centre will be open from 7.15pm at St Leonard's Baptist Church Hall, Chapel Park Rd, St Leonards, TN37 6HR on Saturday and Sunday.
Seaview Project on Hatherley Road will be open on the morning of Sunday 7 January to provide breakfast and showers.
People do not need to approach the council in order to access this SWEP provision.
We are continuing to offer support to rough sleepers this winter including support to find a longer- term home. If you are concerned about someone who is rough sleeping, let us know at https://thestreetlink.org.uk

Due to the cold weather forecast over the weekend, the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) will be activated in Hastings from tomorrow (Saturday 6 January).

The council has been working with the Seaview Project to provide a place of overnight safety for rough sleepers on Saturday 6 January and Sunday 7 January.

The overnight centre will be open from 7.15pm at St Leonard's Baptist Church Hall, Chapel Park Rd, St Leonards, TN37 6HR on Saturday and Sunday.

Seaview Project on Hatherley Road will be open on the morning of Sunday 7 January to provide breakfast and showers.

People do not need to approach the council in order to access this SWEP provision.

We are continuing to offer support to rough sleepers this winter including support to find a longer- term home. If you are concerned about someone who is rough sleeping, let us know at https://thestreetlink.org.uk

Emergency road closure Barley Lane due to gas works.

⚠️ EMERGENCY ROAD CLOSURE ⚠️
Barley Lane, Hastings has been closed for Southern Gas Network (SGN) works. The anticipated completion date for these works is Friday 12 January.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.

If you would rather be able to feed back on the draft Local Transport Plan in person, there will be a drop in session at Hastings Library on 11 January from 11-6.00 pm. Deadline for comments is 28 February.

Local Transport Plan 4 Read our draft Local Transport Plan 4 and tell us what you think to help us create the final strategy.

So great to see this wonderful greenhouse come back to life in the past year. Well done Alexandra Park Greenhouse Group.

Join the Electric Palace Cinema Team - News Screening staff wanted to work as part of a small, committed team at the unique Electric Palace Cinema in Hastings Old Town.

Thanks to Jan Simpson our Old Hastings PCSO and PC Serena Thompson for organising a walkabout in Tackleway and surrounding streets to discuss drug dealing problems on the streets and twittens. We talked about whether it would be helpful for residents to set up a neighbourhood watch group to share information. Jan is going to find out more. It seems that resident groups like this can access funding for community safety measures that the council can't access so might be worth considering.
I also suggested that Jan might include dropping in to the Saturday lunches at St Clement's Church and the Clive Vale Church coffee mornings so residents can talk to her about any policing concerns.

Thanks to the resident who alerted me to this broken handrail on the steps down from Hestingas Plat to All Saints St. I have reported it for repair. Do let me know of any other wobbly or broken hand rails or where you think they are missing.

As the Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, we have just posted an exciting monthly schedule of our talks and walks for 2024: go to the members page at fhcpnr.org. All events are free to members. Non-members are always welcome at the talks for £5. Next up, Sophie Streeter talking about the amazing life of swifts: 10.30am on Saturday 20 January in the Isabel Blackman Centre in Hastings Old Town

My New Year weekend walkabout included reporting again the broken grit bin at the top of Gurth Road, water pouring down the steps from Barley Lane to the reservoirs, fly tipping in Barley Lane car park, pot holes on Barley Lane, Harold Road, Cracked paving and wobbly kerb stones on Swan Avenue, Croft Road, High St.

Many of these are long outstanding repairs so I will be asking why the contractors are not fulfilling their 28 day targets on repairs. If you have other areas that have been outstanding for more than a month do let me know.

Luckily it also included a lovely walk on East Hill!

First councillor drop in of 2024 this Thursday 4 January from 11.00 - 12.00 pm at Isabel Blackman Centre.

My monthly drop in at Isabel Blackman Centre is coming up this Thursday 7 December from 11 - 12.00 pm. Do drop by to have a chat about any concerns I can help with.

Happy Christmas Hastings & St Leonards!

We hope that you enjoy Christmas day.

If you are having a tough one, text SHOUT to 85258 for free, confidential 24/7 text support.

The next HIP edition is out on Friday 05 January.

See you in 2024. ✨



Photo credit: Tim Simpson. Flickr Creative Commons. CC BY-NC.
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A chance to have your say on plans to radically improve and green the town centre as well as get updates on all the Town Deal projects. I will be there in the afternoon with my Hastings Garden Town 'hat' on.

Date for the diary! Hastings Town Deal Open Day – come along and find out about the exciting projects across the town on Saturday 27 January from 10am – 4pm at the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre.

Residents, businesses and visitors will be provided with updates on the £24.3m Town Deal regeneration programme currently taking place in our town.

For more information visit the link in our bio

Hastings Borough Council Priory Meadow Shopping Centre The Hastings Commons East Sussex County Council Education Futures Trust Freedom Works

Housing in this country needs an overhaul.

It starts with making sure everyone has somewhere secure and affordable to live.

George St partial closure for one day 4 Feb for UK Power Networks.

Help Hastings Greens win big in May 2024 Help Hastings Greens raise £10,000 to win big in May 2024 to become the largest group on Hastings Borough Council.

Our Warm Home Check service provides tips to stay warm and save money. It can also offer emergency, small home improvements and access to any available government grants.🏠

Find out more: https://ow.ly/kmPz50QcOT8

Text ‘WARM’ to 80011
Phone: 0800 464 7307

There will be some changes to waste and recycling collections over Christmas. You can check your collection date online whenever you need to, visit hastings.gov.uk/wastelookup or use My Hastings.

Just came across this interesting CIC. https://twogenerations.co.uk/ looks like it could contribute to both the crisis of loneliness in older people and maybe with housing as well. Would be interested if anyone has any experience of working with them?

Two Generations - Bridging Generations through Homesharing Two Generations connects individuals living alone, typically the elderly or those with disabilities, with younger people offering companionship and household help, fostering intergenerational living and reducing isolation. Discover affordable accommodation and enrich lives through shared living expe...

It was great to attend this last Monday and hear positive ideas for tackling the housing crisis. The Hastings Housing Alliance is forming to support community led solutions like housing coops and creating an ethical lettings charter to encourage landlords and agents to sign up to. Look out for more meetings as it needs to form a committee to become a formal group.

The newly formed “Hastings Housing Alliance.”

What do they do?
Provide renters with the support and muscle of the community to make real and long-lasting change.

Look out for more meetings and come along!

Useful meeting this week with residents and Environmental Health Officers and the licensing team from both HBC and the police on how to deal with noisy venues in George St.
It's essential to be able to build up evidence of noise before a licence review can be undertaken so if you are affected by noise from a venue late at night, you must report it to the out of hours service at the council on 01424 451999.
An Environmental Health officer needs to witness the noise levels in person for any sort of noise abatement order to be imposed. It's no good just ringing in the following morning as that's too late. Do let me know if you are having issues with any particular venues by emailing me at [email protected].