Getting back on track

Commuters and local businesses are getting increasingly frustrated and angered by the delay to fixing the landslip on the Hastings-Charing Cross line. We have not had a full train service on this line since before Christmas.

Despite promises that it would re-open earlier in the month the landslip at Whatlington has still not been fixed meaning a disrupted train journey with a bus ride between Robertsbridge and Battle. Network Rail have given up setting dates for re-opening the line and are now saying it will be closed “till further notice.”

This is just not acceptable. It is hard enough on local residents who commute to London, or who need to use the line for other trips, business and pleasure, but Easter will be upon us shortly, and we will then be into the summer season. No-one wanting a day trip to the seaside will choose to travel on a rail replacement bus service, and the continued closure of the line could have a potentially serious effect on our visitor economy.

So I’ve written to Network Rail, who are responsible for the rail infrastructure, expressing my concerns. The importance of this route to Hastings is obvious – it is our mainline, our rail lifeline to the capital. Although not as high profile as the Great Western main line, it is nevertheless vital to us. I have said in my letter that I hope that the line has not been given a lower priority just because the Whatlington landslip is not as photogenic or as accessible as the line at Dawlish which was washed away by the sea.

Dawlish has in fact been given a date for re-opening – 4^th April. Unless Network Rail makes urgent progress the Hastings line could be closed longer than that.

I must stress that I am not critical of the staff and contractors who continue to work in difficult conditions on the ground trying to repair the line. My criticism is of the lack of maintenance and planning which continues to give us timetables for the line's reopening which are then broken.

 I have sent a copy of my letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, as if necessary the Department of Transport should be approached to help fund the necessary re pair work. The prime minister said money would be no object to deal with the aftermath of flooding and  the weather has caused just as much damage to our rail links.

For a main line to be closed indefinitely with no firm date set for its reopening is just not good enough. Our town, our residents and our visitors deserve better. And I will keep pressing Network Rail to fix it until further notice

Budget

Council Leader Jeremy Birch talking about the budget

The council set its 2014-15 budget on 26^th February. The headlines are: no increase in the borough council’s element of the council tax, no increase in council car park charges and no job losses as a result of the budget.

The backdrop to the budget is that Hastings Borough Council is receiving the biggest cut in government grant of any council in the South East – 50% since 2010. Government grant amounts to more than half of the council’s net income.

This can only mean the council becoming a smaller authority, employing less staff and providing fewer services to local people over the next few years.

But we have prepared as best we can for this. By building up our reserves we are now able to release some of that money to support the budget for next year and for the next couple of years to help smooth our downward path to a smaller council.

However, some new spending has still been made possible in the new budget. The council will be spending £20,000 a year on co-ordinating a town-wide anti-poverty action plan involving a number of public bodies. 

There will also be a one-off sum of £300,000 for a national cultural festival to celebrate the 950^th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 2016.

The council also agreed its capital investment programme which amounts to £3 million for 2014-15. This includes nearly £1 million on disabled facilities grants to adapt the homes of residents who need it, £250,000 for Hastings Pier, £250,000 as part of a lottery bid to improve Hastings Castle as a visitor attraction and £100,000 to improve facilities for mourners at the crematorium.

As the freeholder of Priory Meadow the council is putting £200,000 into a £2 million facelift and improvement package which of course will see H&M moving in at the end of March.

I believe we are an effective and efficient council and the government agrees as they gave us the maximum £250,000 efficiency bonus. Now this budget is approved we are moving on to efficiency reviews of council services to see how we can do still better and be still more cost-effective in this climate of serious grant reductions.