St Mary in the Castle Council Update

Further to my recent blog about the St Mary in the Castle Charitable Trust not renewing its lease later this year, Councillor Andy Batsford, Cabinet Lead for Health and Culture at Hastings Borough Council has got in touch with me, many thanks Andy!

Councillor Batsford included the Council statement issued recently to the media, which I reproduce below, and reassured me that St Mary in the Castle is still regarded as a "Jewel in Hastings Cultural crown." The Council is looking for a "cultural partner that has the means and ability to take St Marys on as a going concern" and as a sustainable business, and is excited by potential future developments. 

However, the Council continues to need to look for savings across the board in these financially tight times, so consequently cannot offer any more grants to whoever takes over next, following what had previously been given to help St Mary in the Castle reopen following the Covid-19 Crisis (see below). 

I understand this completely, as Central Government has reduced the Central Government Revenue Support Grant that Hastings received from the £14,000,000 a year it was when they took over at Westminster in 2010 to nothing since 2018... In addition to not receiving any central government grant anymore, Local Government is severely restricted in how much it can increase Council Tax annually despite the increasing costs and inflation that we are all experiencing, indeed, this year limited to just 1.99%, which includes a 1% increase in the Adult Social Care precept, so effectively just a 0.99% increase for 2022/23 - see blog.

Here is the Hastings Borough Council press statement:

“We are also very sad to hear the news of the closure of St Mary in the Castle, and we would like to thank the trustees and staff there for their hard work over the years, running a very complex venue during a difficult time. They have provided many years of great entertainment, culture and world class acts for the town and its visitors.

“Hastings Borough Council was keen to help the trustees of St Mary in the Castle reopen after Covid, we met them on a number of occasions and gave them £18,000 last summer. However even this, a grant of just over £50,000 from Arts Council England, and over £87,000 for Covid recovery from the government through Hastings Borough Council appears not to have been enough given the ever increasing costs of running venues. The café received additional Covid recovery payments.

“The trustees of St Mary in the Castle told us that without more funding they would have to close. Sadly we are now in that position. Hastings Borough Council simply does not have the resources available to support St Mary in the Castle.

“We will now look at all options that don’t involve further funding from the council. We look forward to ideas and conversations from individuals, organisations and companies who can work with the council to provide a first class entertainment venue that can be fully sustainable without sadly any Council subsidy.”

With many thanks again to Councillor Andy Batsford. 👍

Council Tax Increases Again for 2022/23

It doesn't look great for us this year, financially, with our Council Tax Bill 2022/23 increasing in Hastings by 4.07%, made up of an increase in the Hastings Borough Council of just 1.99%, increased to 4.07% because of the Police, Fire Authority and East Sussex County Council Adult Social Care precepts added to the total council tax.

Council Tax Bills should be sent out to us this week, and all households in Bands A to D will receive a £150 Council Tax Rebate in our bank accounts in May if Council Tax is paid for by Direct Debit; if you don't pay by Direct Debit go to this council website page for further information.

The trouble for many will be that, when increases in the State Pension rate, for example, were declared in October, the inflation rate was at 3.1%, thus pensions will increase by that amount in April (Government website), whereas the inflation rate is quickly rising above the 5.4% it had already increased to by January, and the Bank of England (website) expects it to rise to 7.25% by April!

So, if taking account of the astronomical increases expected in energy costs following ofgem's price cap increase for next year (website) and with world gas and oil prices increasing, notably following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia (yahoo news), food prices and energy costs will go through the roof, and inflation is likely to increase even further!

Of course, the £150 Council Tax Rebate is a Government scheme to help us with increasing energy costs, together with a £200 loan we will be given this Autumn via the energy company we use; this is called a "discount" by the Government (website), but is in fact not a "discount" as we have to pay it back over the next 5 years, presumably added to future energy bills.

So, things do not look so great for us financially, start economising folks!

Local Elections Thursday 6th May

Further to my blog about the higher than inflation increase to the Council Tax, notably to get the Council Tax payer to provide the money to pay for the Government's attempt to employ the over 20,000 police officers that they had taken away since 2010 - the Police & Crime Commissioner precept increasing by 7.5% - local elections are here...

The BBC (website) provides a decent overview of what is up for grabs in Hastings, seats for Hastings Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, and the Police & Crime Commissioner. So, whether you support or don't the Conservatives in charge of the county and Police & Crime Commissioner, or Labour in charge of Hastings, tomorrow is your chance to have an influence, indeed, even if you want to show support for, or dislike of, central Government. 

If we don't vote, can we really complain folks?

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! 😒

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?

Another Weekend...

Having just returned from the Tower pub with a few pints of ale, working out at just £2.20 a pint now (also see previous blog), so I thought I'd sit down with a pint and write this... Indeed, another weekend arrives, and it's been 12 weeks since pubs were closed from that Friday evening, and the full lockdown arrived on Monday 11 weeks and 4 days ago. Hastings has since been besieged by visitors at weekends, hopefully PLEASE not ruining our place as having the lowest Covid-19 infection rate in the country (blog).

Having tried all types of tactics to discourage visitors, and making note of the beaches being left with rubbish galore, and visitors urinating and defecating in public places because the toilets are closed, the top image appears the latest poster around, plus the 2 immediately above. I've seen all sorts of arguments for and against opening the public toilets and, on reading through numerous Government advice pages on the internet, I feel it's all pretty difficult to enable opening public loos (also see this interesting Guardian article). The Government advice is ambiguous of course, basically, please don't travel anywhere that is too far to without using the loo, but you can travel as far as you like within England, to Councils, do open public toilets, but you have to ensure 2 metre distancing and that the toilets are cleaned after every time it's used!

A knife in the back for councils, making them shoulder responsibility without giving any extra resources, meaning it's us good old Hastings Council Tax payers who have to foot the bill! Some councils around the country have opened some toilets, but not all, or for limited periods, others remain closed, as in Hastings. The organisation of this would be very difficult, and we've already seen, and have known for a long time, that left to their own devices, some of the public are, frankly, dirty buggers! So, attendants would have to make sure people going into toilets didn't go in when a maximum number were already in, imagine the comments they would receive from people crossing their legs because they're keen to empty their bowels and/or bladders! Then the attendant would have to keep going in to ensure cleanliness, not nice to imagine, nor easy...

And I love this idea for seating in Priory Meadow (above), I bet that works! 😉

Anyway, have a good weekend, and be careful. I shall be battening down the hatches after my early morning walk, with a few pints and DVDs, enjoy!

I have since added another blog that clarifies (I hope) where I was coming from concerning the closure of public toilets etc...

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)?

Council Tax - Single Person Discount Review

If, like me, you live alone, then you receive a 25% discount in your council tax bill... Well, I have been away (apologies for little input on this blog whilst away) to celebrate my birthday with family, but I came back to this letter threatening me that I will lose my discount if I don't get in touch within 21 days, so lucky I wasn't away for more time! Apart from very recently telling the Council I live alone on the recent electoral registration form, that doesn't count, oh I could go on about some more confused people than me, or with poor eyesight, who may think they've already done this, or that work is going out to a private body to carry out this research thus taking work away from local people, but I shan't, what I shall do is offer the link to the Council's website where you can make your declaration, if appropriate, and find out more (see below).

"Along with other councils in East Sussex, we are reviewing how many people may be incorrectly claiming a Single Person Discount. The review will help keep Council Tax as low as possible for all Council Tax payers.

Each year local authorities receive a high volume of applications for the 25% Single person's Council Tax discount. There are currently 17,000 people in Hastings claiming Single Person Discount. This reduces the annual Council Tax bill by £476 for a Band D property. Some residents may fail to report a change in circumstances that would change their entitlement to this discount. 

With other councils in East Sussex, we have commissioned Datatank to carry out the review.

Datatank Ltd uses a combination of Council data, third party data sources and specialist validation services. This is to:

• confirm the discount for genuine claimants efficiently and accurately.
• remove ineligible or incorrect claims and increase revenue for the Council.

To provide "fairness for all" residents so that those that are paying the correct level of Council Tax are not subsidising their fellow residents who are incorrectly claiming the discount."

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...

Is there an election soon?

First, I noticed this poster around town last week, so, not everyone in Hastings appears to approve of our MP to May 2017, and Home Secretary...

Then this rather more obvious message turned up below Pelham Crescent... 

Quickly painted out, but this level of graffiti isn't correct for Hastings, surely, we should be keeping it clean and tidy for visitors and their photographs, let alone ourselves, whatever any genuine grievances, after all, we pay enough in council tax to pay to keep it clean and tidy, despite gulls, and others, doing their best to fill the town with litter and dog mess! 

But no! Someone from the opposite end of the spectrum has joined in, it appears, so we've vandals of the 'left' and 'right' now, increasing our council tax!?! 

I also saw this image on facebook earlier, someone certainly has it in for the Labour candidate, a "cur" and a "ninny" in his/her/their opinion/s! Now, I went out to take my own photographs of the last 2, but they have either been very professionally cleaned up already, had water-based paint used which was washed away by heavy rain and winds last night, or were originally photoshopped... but who would bother going to such lengths?!? 

Anyway, we've another 3 weeks of this! 😨

White Rock Promenade Kiosk Now Open, Honest!

Yesterday, I noticed that the kiosk that was first mooted in the plans for the regeneration of the White Rock Promenade nearly 2 years ago, is now open to provide refreshments! 

This is how it was envisaged in the plans (see my blog of 11th June 2015). I'm sure they were talking about it as an 'information kiosk' at the exhibition at the White Rock Hotel that day. Though, with even more cut-backs to funding to local councils, particularly for Hastings, from Central Government, plus noting that, despite the Borough Council keeping its own annual council tax increase to 2%, the overall increase for Hastings council tax payers in 2017/18 is 4.3%! Subsequently, I can understand that, I presume, this kiosk is now being used as a way of making income for the Council... fair enough.

Holiday Homes for Premium Rate Council Tax?

If you're trying to figure out where these houses are, don't bother, they're not in Hastings (I didn't want to upset anyone by implying their home is a holiday, or second, home). But, to the point, Hastings Borough Council Leader, Peter Chowney, has suggested to BBC Sunday Politics that greater powers may be sought so that a Council Tax 'Premium' may be imposed on house owners who spend little time in their second/holiday homes in Hastings; hence denying local residents from local accommodation, and also, pushing prices up much higher in specific areas of Hastings.  

Go to the BBC website for more information.

Council Tax Questions?

I presume that you, like me, have received your council tax bill with its heralding a 3.56% increase, a new charge for Adult Social Care, and no telling what cuts to ensue... 

Well, if you do have questions you would like to ask, Hastings Borough Council has a link from their website where you may find suitable answers.

Council Watch and Council Tax: February Part II

In my previous February Council Watch blog, I inferred that the meeting was quite passionate, at least, many of the participants, on both sides, spoke with passion. Primarily, it was a return to good old-fashioned political posturing, some heckling, and not a few metaphorical clenched fists were waved!  

The meeting last week was primarily held to agree the Draft Corporate Plan, the revised Budget for 2014/15 and the Budget for 2015/16, and the Treasury Management and Investment Strategy. As I said before, all were agreed on by a majority, but not by all: 23 Labour for and 8 Conservative abstentions in each case, though the Investment Strategy was agreed unopposed. Interestingly, at the previous Budget Cabinet on 16th February, which has 6 Labour and 2 Conservative members, 1 of the Conservatives was absent, and the other agreed with the rest to recommend to the Full Council that the Plan and Budget be approved...   

When introducing the Budget, the Council Leader explained that the balanced budget was necessary to ensure the funding of the Corporate Plan, despite Hastings Borough Council having a reduction of 54% in its grant from Central Government to 2016/17, and allowing for inflation, effectively a 60% cut, that is more than any other council in the South East. There would be redundancies, some cuts in services, Council Tax and parking fee increases, essentially, though, the plan would be enabled.      

The Opposition introduced amendments to the Plan and Budget, but they fell without a majority in each case, only receiving their own 8 votes. Indeed, a few councillors asked why had the Opposition suggestions suddenly appeared and not been brought up at appropriate previous meetings, so they could be considered before the Plan and Budget were put to the Full Council. There was quite a bit of forceful language, some badinage, and a few witty quotes came from both sides, certainly it wasn't a boring meeting. 

What will interest most residents of Hastings is that the Council agreed to raise the Council Tax in Hastings by 1.9%. When taking into account the increase I've previously discussed of East Sussex County Council, and increases from the Police and Fire services, the average increase to households in Hastings will be 1.95% for 2015/16.  

East Sussex County Council...

East Sussex County Council are making cuts to the tune of £19 million this coming year, and increasing council tax by 1.95% (BBC). 

The last I heard from Hastings Borough Council was they will not be increasing council tax, but using other sources of revenue and assets to fund services, so it looks like a small overall council tax increase this year...