Friday 24 December 2010

End of year report

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.

Saturday 4 December 2010

Hastings weathers the storm



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.

Hastings weathers the storm

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 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 many people were still 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.