Council Tax Rise Above Inflation... Again!

I'm guessing I'm not the only resident to have received their 2021/22 Council Tax Bill. Well, ever since the Government started cutting back payment of Central Government Revenue Support Grant to local councils in 2010, Hastings has been bashed, becoming one of the first 40% of local councils to have central funding completely taken away in 2019 (blog). Indeed, recent above inflation increases have been because of council tax payers having to provide the funds to pay for the recruitment of police officers to replace the thousands that Central Government has got rid of since 2010.

For the third year running the annual 'precept' that we have had to pay to the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner has far exceeded the rest of the council tax percentage increases. In 2019/20 this part of the council tax bill increased by a massive 14.5%! In 2020/21 it increased by 7.8%, and this year by 7.5%, and all to pay for Central Government's promises to increase the number of police officers. We, Hastings council tax payers are in fact funding Government promises, and they take the applause!

Reasons for 2021/2022 Bill increase:

• East Sussex County Council contribution increased by 2.0%
• Adult Social Care contribution increased by 1.5%
• Hastings Borough Council contribution increased by 2.0%
• East Sussex Fire Authority contribution increased by 2.0%
• Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner contribution increased by 7.5% 

And, if you consider the inflation rate is currently either just below or just above 1.0%, depending on which figures you use, the Consumer Prices Index or Retail Prices Index, we are paying an increase of way above the inflation rate; incidentally, the Government and Bank of England inflation target is 2.0%, hence councils are allowed to make increases in council tax for that amount. 

So we, local council tax payers, are being allowed to pay above the targeted 2.0% increases for council services to pay for the Government's promises and ineptitude, that is, the Government allows us to pay increases way above the inflation rate for our police service. Great, eh? We are paying to make up for 11 years now of Central Government underfunding of the Police, many thanks Johnson! 😒

From Safest Town in the Country to Tier 2 in 2 Weeks!

I just don't believe it, from living in the safest town in England and Wales (blog) to living under Tier 2 COVID-19 restrictions next week! What has the second lockdown done to Hastings in just a couple of weeks?!? I really do fear for our Hospitality Sector, and fear that Hastings may become a Ghost Town by the return of the tourists next year. Anyway, I felt I should write to our MP requesting she stand up for the town and her constituents, basically, do her job!  

My letter is reproduced below, if you want to write to her go this website.

I shall let you know how she replies, anyway, my letter:

Dear Sally-Ann Hart,

COVID-19 Latest Tier Restrictions

I brought myself to write to you because I am very concerned that the people of Hastings are being treated unfairly by Her Majesty's Government, and as our Member of Parliament, I would be very grateful if you would help defend this wonderful historic town, and its inhabitants.

Before the COVID-19 crisis descended upon us even, we have been treated unfairly, with the Central Government Revenue Support Grant awarded to Hastings being reduced from £14 million in 2010/11 to nothing nothing since April 2019. Indeed, the Government's 'The Indices of Deprivation 2019' stated that Hastings was the 13th most deprived area in England, from among the 317 local council areas in the country, and the most deprived local council area in the South East!

The unemployment rate locally was higher than the national average at the start of the COVID-19 'lockdown' from March, and is only rising, sadly, due to the restrictions deemed necessary to halt the rise of that virus. However, the local economy is highly dependent on tourism, and the hospitality sector was hit significantly by its closure. As you'll be aware, the hospitality sector in Hastings prospers, and ensures employment, during the warmer months of the year, but 'lockdown' and the loss of holiday periods such as Easter, and numerous festivals that bring visitors, consequently money, into the town, including Hastings Week, the Seafood & Wine Festival, the Herring Festival, and May Day and 'Jack in the Green' have all been lost to businesses in the local Hospitality Sector.

When the 'lockdown' ended early in July, with Hastings one of the safest places to live in the country with respect to COVID-19, the local Hospitality Sector looked at the latest rules regarding COVID-19, dusted itself down, and brought in vigorous supervision of customers, spending much money on ensuring 'mitigations' such as reducing the numbers that could enter premises by losing/moving furniture, taking details of customers for tracking and tracing, providing hand sanitizer, staff safety wear and serving at table, regular cleaning of their premises and toilets, sanitizing tables between customers, the list could go on, but they adhered to Government advice. Indeed, only a few didn't, and were suitably closed for periods by Police and the local authority to help them get their act together.

Since July, Hastings, in Tier 1, has continued to maintain a much lower than average number of cases of COVID-19, indeed, at the beginning of the second 'lockdown' we had the lowest incidence of COVID-19 in England and Wales, being 31.3 cases per 100,000 (2nd November).

How is it that, after a couple of weeks of 'lockdown' the Government has decided to move Hastings from Tier 1, when it became the safest place to live in England and Wales, into Tier 2 from next week? Surely this means the Government's strategy isn't working, when, during 'lockdown' the position got worse apparently? Yet Government figures appear to be suggesting the rise in infection rates has leveled off with signs of falling numbers.

When this comes before Parliament next week, I trust you will stand up for Hastings and your constituents, and defend our Hospitality Sector so that, and hopefully we shall see the Summer of 2021 be something close to normal for tourism, there are still some businesses remaining open to benefit, please let's not allow Hastings to become a 'Ghost Town.'

I look forward to receiving your support for Hastings in Parliament, and your comments, many thanks,

Yours sincerely,

Public Toilets Musing...

I got my inspiration for the public toilets part of my blog yesterday from this wee (excuse the pun, but it is intentional, though I do use the word 'wee' a lot 😉) piece I wrote as a facebook post, cut & pasted below, slightly different emphasis than the blog:

"Apparently, the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government have “published guidance to help them (Councils) ensure facilities are safe where they are open including increasing cleaning of touch points.” Try and find that guidance! I've been reading through pages and pages of the stuff with no luck, except them saying people should be discouraged from using public toilets, if they do they should wash their hands as per guidance, and toilets and surfaces need cleaning after every use, basically referring to every other guidance. In fact, they're leaving it up to Councils to shoulder responsibility and the cost, and all that cleaning will be costly! Loo management to keep down numbers inside public toilets, loo cleaners, cleaning equipment, bleach or whatever, hand sanitizer etc etc...

Local Council Tax payers to foot the cost, of course, as if Council Tax isn't already high in Hastings and, since the year before last we haven't had any Central Government funding, same as about 50% of councils now."

I hope that clarifies where I was coming from on this subject?

Council Tax Bill 2020-21

So the latest Council Tax Bill, for 2020 to 2021, arrived on most doorsteps this week, not really any surprise regarding the make-up... East Sussex County Council increase from last year 2.0%, Adult Social Care increase of 2.0%, Hastings Borough Council increase of 2.0%, East Sussex Fire Authority 2.0%.

But what about for the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner? Again, this exceeded the average increase, as it has done in recent years, eg 7.8% compared to 3.0% 2018-19, a whopping 14.5% compared to 3.0% 2019-20 (blog), and this year 5.3% compared to 2.0%. So, whilst Hastings receives no central government grants at all now, we keep on being asked for money over the inflation rate (11.5% over inflation this year passing!) to fund the Police. I doubt many would deny the Police need more funding, with over 23,000 fewer police officers now than in 2010, thanks to austerity cuts, but we keep on paying more, and I don't see any increase in police numbers walking the beat in Hastings, though the occasional support officer or two patrol in police cars.

Indeed, the Prime Minister has suggested he will ensure police numbers are added to by 20,000 officers, but still not enough to equal the number in 2010, and 30,000 fewer than Home Office and Police officials say will actually be required! The reason for that 30,000 number is because "so many are set to leave the service" (BBC).

Don't hold your collective breath.

Council Tax Increase 2019 and Update.

Most of you will have received your council tax bill by now, an increase of 3% by Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council, but pushed up to 4% overall by an increase for the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner of 14.5%. Money going to pay for Police services looks reasonable, we all know that central government funding to the Police has dropped significantly since 2010, indeed, there are now well over 20,000 fewer police officers in the country, but the extra money that Government has recently said would be spent on Police services is to come directly from us (council taxes), not from the Government, consequently the 14.5% increase!

The bill for people living in accommodation rated at Band A is shown above (£1,271.89 increased to £1,322.58), and percentage increases are the same for other bands too; eg for Band D £1,907.83 to £1,983.86 and for Band G £3,179.72 to £3,306.44 (HBC).

What isn't obvious from these figures, that have risen, roughly, along with inflation since Austerity Measures were introduced by Central Government in 2010, which sounds reasonable. However, since 2010, Central Government Revenue Support Grants to local councils have reduced each year, and this year 168 out of 353 councils in the country no longer receive these grants (LGA), and you've got it, Hastings has been one of those fast-tracked to no grant at all this year! That is, for 2010-11, Hastings received over £14 million in grant, and this has reduced to nothing for us this year (HBC).

Aren't Austerity Measures wonderful (Forbes)?

Coastal Currents - Can You Help?

First of all, apologies for not blogging recently, but I've been away...

Because of Central Government 'austerity' cutbacks, and it was meant to be over (I thought!?!), yet again this year, money provided by the centre is being reduced to local government, consequently, Hastings Borough Council has made the decision to refrain from supporting the Coastal Currents 2019 arts festival (last year). But, fear not! A fund is being raised on GoFundMe to support the festival, and over £4,000 has been raised already, so, if you can share a few pennies, many thanks!

Debenhams, Business Rates and an Election?

I'm a wee bit concerned that, following the announcement that Debenhams has lost almost half a £billion for the year to September, they are now planning to close down up to 50 of their stores over the next 3-5 years (Financial Times)! This is a bit worrying for Hastings Town Centre, what would happen to this large building if it closed down, and add another reason for people not to shop in Hastings, indeed, Debenhams is the only department store we have...

Though help may just be at hand, excuse the pun, following the Prime Minister's recent announcement at the Conservative Party Conference (Independent) that everything is great now, thanks to the British people coping with austerity, austerity measures are nearly over, "when we've secured a good Brexit deal for Britain..."

So, noises are being made that more money is to be made available to fix roads (already reported early this year in this blog), and local councils will receive more money from central government, for example, to help lower business rates to help town and city centres. OK, if you believe this will happen and, frankly, we've just wasted more than 8 years with austerity measures rather than investing in the economy, then you may also recognize that this sounds like a build up to another early general election, particularly noting that our MP keeps turning up around Hastings...

So, Hastings Borough Council, now has to be the time to negotiate with Debenhams, and others, regarding reducing business rates, or Hastings will just fill up with even more cafes, estate agents and charity shops!

Hastings Fish brand

You may have seen articles about the Hastings Fish brand, or known it was launched at the recent Seafood & Wine Festival (Hastings Borough Council website), but I was made very aware of the brand when I witnessed an enthusiastic representative from Hastings Fish interviewing a local chef who has supported and championed the local fishing industry. Indeed, locally sustainably caught fish has been championed, even against the wishes of those customers who frequently would prefer having cod in their fish supper, even if it is only available out of season as unfrozen cod caught by Russian or Chinese fishing boats (see their facebook page for many interviews and features). 

If you see the brand label above, you can be assured that the fish used in that establishment is locally and sustainably sourced whenever possible, but ask if you have any doubts. The contradiction that EU funding is supporting the brand and Hastings fishing industry, despite most members of the local fishing community campaigning to leave the EU, would be ironic if written into a play! However, £800,000 EU funding to support Hastings fishing fleet was secured by the Council earlier this year (Hastings Online Times website). This is a source of money that won't be available in future, indeed, the Chancellor Philip Hammond at the Conservative Party conference just this week has reiterated there are many more years of austerity to come...

You can find out more about Hastings Fish at their website.

May 3rd Election: and Register to Vote!

You've likely already received your Poll Card for the local elections on Thursday the 3rd of May 2018, if not, are you registered to vote? If not, you still have a little over a week in which to register to vote at the local elections, indeed, there would be no surprise if a general election is called at short notice any time soon! Whoever you support, it is important to use your vote, or even to turn up and 'spoil' your ballot paper if you would prefer, but everyone really does need to make their feelings felt.

In Hastings every Borough Councillor seat is up for grabs for the first time on the same day, due to the boundary changes, and what one shouldn't forget, whatever your political persuasion, is that Central Government has once again reduced the amount they share with Local Government, and Hastings is one of the worst hit councils in the country! But it's not just Labour borough councils that have been hit, even Tory controlled county councils (and local councils), including East Sussex County Council, have had their contributions slashed since 2010, indeed many Conservative councillors are among the noisiest in their condemnation of Central Government ongoing cuts to funding whilst passing more responsibilities onto local councils...

Register to vote here, you have until the 17th of April 2018, make your opinions known to your local MP, County Councillors and Hastings Borough Councillors, and vote!

Extra Cash To Fix Potholes!?!

So, the Government is supplying an extra £100 million to local councils to fix potholes (BBC), of which East Sussex County Council is due to get just under £2 million... This is on top of pay rises for nurses, firemen, and other public service workers (though still below inflation following years of wage stagnation), and the local Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne (and other PCCs), being allowed to increase the 'police precept' part of council tax by 7.8%!

Do I detect a temporary end to 'austerity' and a general election in the offing?!?

2018/19 Council Tax Bill Arrives!

Well, like for most of you, no doubt, my council tax bill dropped through the letterbox this morning and, to be fair to Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council, despite central government yet again reducing its contribution to council spending due to 'austerity cuts', they have kept their parts of the bill down to the current level of inflation in Britain (according to the Consumer Prices Index) of 3%. 

PCC Katy Bourne

However, you will notice that your overall council tax has in fact increased by 5.6%, which is due to the 7.8% increase in the amount to be spent by the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC). This is due to this year's police grant from central government remaining at the same level as last year, with no allowance for inflation, also, to try and prevent the planned reduction in numbers of officers and other staff posts in Sussex Police by 476 following £88 million of austerity cuts since 2009.

Another bill higher than inflation, and higher than wage increases for most people, for those who are getting increases, that is...

Christmas Trees...

Now I'm not making any religious remarks here at all, but Christmas Trees can be quite enthralling, and, I believe, the idea comes from a very old pagan tradition, but I'm bitterly disappointed with the public ones around town... For example, the main tree, outside Debenhams in the town centre, well, it's impressively big, but only has a few very small lights, and way up high!

The tree in Butlers gap in George Street in the old town appears to have more lights per square metre, and, presumably, it's supplied by the Old Town Traders? Anyway, please correct me if I'm wrong, but it does appear to have about 10 times as many lights per square metre as the one in the town centre!

And then, over to St Leonards, and, frankly, I couldn't notice any lights whatsoever, though a fairly impressive tree, however, as I've said elsewhere, it would be better if it was still rooted in the ground...

Apologies for the poor quality, but I took this photograph early morning with my mobile phone, but the tree in Priory Meadow does have lights and baubles, making it the most decorated public Christmas Tree of the lot, though...

This was similar, taken 5 years ago by me, a bit more impressive... oh well, we're living in a world of austerity, fair enough, Bah Humbug!

Library Service Proposals - 6 days left!

Old photograph, still not re-opened yet!

People in East Sussex now have just 6 days left in which to contribute to East Sussex County Council's consultation exercise of their proposals concerning how they can make a further £2 million savings to library services, including closing Ore Library, amongst others in East Sussex, because of Central Government cuts to their contributions to local councils; expect similar cuts from other County departments and from Hastings Borough Council thanks to Government austerity cuts.

I have just come off the online consultation (website), which was very easy to complete, and with room for your own opinions/ideas, you can also go into libraries and complete paper copies, again, you have until next Thursday, the 14th of December 2017.

East Sussex County Council also has other consultation exercises ongoing, if you ever want to see what else they are holding exercises on go to their website.

Save Ore Library Campaign

Following on from my recent blog about planned library closures forced on East Sussex County Council due to central Government cuts in local government funding, there is currently a campaign to save Ore Library (facebook page) which has a meeting tomorrow morning at Ore Community Centre starting at 10.30am. 

For more information about libraries under threat see BBC website.

Stand Up For East Sussex!

Conservative East Sussex County Council has launched an online video campaign seeking fairer government funding for the county. "Stand Up For East Sussex" asks residents to sign a petition to the Prime Minister demanding an urgent intervention over public services.

Savings of £58m are due to be made by 2021 under current council plans. Since 2010 the council has made savings of £112m, enough, it said, to meet the yearly costs of caring for 5,600 vulnerable people or to repair two million potholes.

Council leader Keith Glazier said it had "reached the point where national support for East Sussex has shrivelled to harmfully-low levels. We're only 50 miles from Westminster but sometimes it feels as though the needs of the people who live and work here are out of sight." 

I've signed... Here's a link for you at the council website.

Library closures?

It appears that more than a quarter of libraries in East Sussex will be closing, and the mobile library service will end... Details of the plans will be discussed at an East Sussex County Council cabinet meeting next week. Spokesman Nick Skelton said "significant cuts from central government" left them with "no choice".

Of course, there are opponents to any scheme to cut library services, including me of course. As a well-known song says 'Libraries gave us power' (A Design for Life), as in, knowledge is power, and the former children's laureate Chris Riddell joins me and urges the council to "think again".

Riddell asserts that "Rather than fewer libraries we need better resourced libraries, we need to cherish the libraries we have. If we lost them, the great tragedy is, we can never get them back."

The cuts have been estimated to make total savings of £653,000 a spokesperson from East Sussex County Council has said. Now, with the main Hastings Library being renovated and due to reopen next year, I imagine it is safe, but what about other library services in Hastings, including the Children's Library? Austerity cuts, hmmm...

Libraries should be saved and improved on, not closed!

See BBC website for more details.

Coastal Communities worst off?

A BBC report, by the Social Market Foundation, has found that coastal communities in Britain are "among the country's worst off for earnings, employment, health and education..." Indeed, they found that 85% of coastal local authorities have pay levels below the national average, and Hastings is named among the 10 local authorities in the country to have the highest unemployment rate; see website.

Not really surprising information, particularly noting how Government since 2010 has reduced investment in Hastings annually. Will we get anything helpful out of the Government's latest 'sticking plaster' - the Coastal Communities Fund, or is the Government going to continue reducing funds paid to Hastings? Don't hold your breath!

John Hodges - An Apology from me.

Most people who know me will appreciate that I've missed John Hodges since he died last year (blog), and I wasn't even that close to him, but he influenced my life greatly. 

I miss watching and listening to him at Hastings Borough Council meetings, where he tore apart the rhetoric of others, I miss his welcoming me to those meetings, I miss his great knowledge of the history and politics of Hastings, I miss that I could go to him and he would tell me the reality behind what was going on, whether to do with Ecclesbourne Glen, the Winch Road, the Foreshore Trust, whatever. I miss we could talk about pubs and beer, that he used to provide me with his own articles for my blogs, and that I could use his knowledge to write blogs myself. I miss that I don't have him to pass on beer mats and pumpclips to, a hobby I could help him with, indeed, I hardly gave back much.

So I apologise to those who misinterpreted my use of his image regarding my last blog; his image was meant to represent "democracy" plain and simple, but some thought I shouldn't have used it when 'corruption' was in the reference. I can appreciate how that must have felt to some people, it wasn't my purpose.

I wanted to encourage people to ignore rumours and gossip, and to gain 'informed' knowledge, go to Council meetings, read the minutes, talk to your councillors, don't just accept gossip at face value, particularly as many gossipers have their own agendas. See democracy in action, find out why decisions are made, that, despite decisions apparently going against local residents, eg Ecclesbourne Glen and the Jerwood Gallery, there may well be good reasons, but these shouldn't be kept secret. We have a good council in Hastings, that does what it can despite annual reductions in it's income, thanks to 'austerity measures' from on high, and I'm including that councillors of all political persuasions should be used to discover the truths. I'll shut up for now...

John Hodges R.I.P.

Sea Road Overnight Parking...

I was advised by a friend who lives nearby that overnight caravan parking was being prevented in Sea Road, by the old open-air Swimming Baths, St Leonards, and, whilst on a walk to Bexhill, I had a gander. Obviously a device to 'kill two birds with one stone', that is, preventing overnight parking of camper vans, and gaining more revenue for the Council, following even more central government cuts to Hastings thanks to Austerity Britain.

There had been very recent tarmac layed in the space, but, on my way back a couple of hours later, new lines were already being drawn, I'm on the ball! 😉

Though this hasn't prevented these two caravans being parked for ages by Grosvenor Gardens on Sea Road, oh well...

East Sussex: Budget cuts and a 4% council tax rise.

Conservative-run East Sussex County Council have approved a 3.99% rise in their part of your council tax for 2016-17, and £20 million cuts, defeating opposition amendments to reduce cuts in social care and charity funding. 

The Leader of the Council, Keith Glazier, said that having "already had to save £78 million since 2010, we have cut our spending to the bone..." See the BBC website for more on this story.

So, thanks to Central Government austerity cuts, we have yet another Council Tax rise to come, but for less service...