Hastings: Residents should have say on how £20m fund is spent for town, says business leader

John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings, the local Business Improvement District, said decisions on where money goes should be ultimately made by ‘regular people and businesses who know their neighbourhoods’.

The move comes after the Government revealed Hastings and Bexhill are among 55 towns in the UK set to receive £20 million of long-term investment as part of a government plan to help local people take back control of their future.

Each town will be given an opportunity to develop a long-term plan, with the support of a central-government appointed Town Board.

The Town Board will comprise community leaders, local employers, local authorities like East Sussex County Council and Hastings Borough Council, and each party will work together to create a long-term plan which will be submitted to members of the public for consultation.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, issued guidelines on how the fund should be controlled.

Mr Sunak said: “We’re putting towns back into the hands of local people, so that they can decide on local priorities and what’s best for the long-term future of the places where they live. Each town will have a new Town Board made up of local community leaders and employers, who will draw up their town’s Long-Term Plan for the next 10 years.

“We want towns to set up their Town Boards as soon as possible. So we’re providing £50,000 this year, and £200,000 the next – along with a dedicated data pack full of local insights and intelligence – so that towns can build their own local capacity, talk to local people about what they want from their town, and get going on their Long-Term Plans.”

Mr Bownas said: “There was some debate before this announcement about exactly how this fund would be managed, but these new guidelines are really clear. The council will be holding the money and be responsible for making sure that basic spending rules are followed, but the decisions on where the cash goes need to be shaped by regular people – residents and businesses who know their neighbourhoods and understand what is needed to make them more viable and sustainable.”

The £20m fund will be paid to the council over the next seven years, but Hastings has 10 years to spend the funds on projects that help with reducing crime, improving safety, regenerating high streets, and enhancing transport options.

This could involve hot-spot policing, improved CCTV, diversion programmes for potential offenders, funding for neighbourhood watch style schemes, investment in key high street buildings, flood defences, community gardens and urban parks, changes in the management of green spaces, cultural events programmes, support for cultural events, tourism marketing campaigns, business support, development of visitor experiences, support for establishing conferences, improved highway maintenance, or a wide range of other options.

The new Town Board has to be set up by April 1 this year.

There will then be four months of open public consultation before the detailed plan is submitted by the start of August.