Morale within Hastings Borough Council (HBC) is at its lowest level ever according to UNISON – the union that represents staff there. Tomorrow night (Wednesday) the council will officially set its budget for the coming year. It’s a budget that calls for cuts in the number of staff and increases in charges for many of […]
Last night Hastings Borough Council (HBC) voted unanimously to make the town carbon neutral by 2030 – putting tackling climate change at the heart of council policy. Sustainable energy generation on council land could see the council supplying 30 per cent of the town’s electricity in 12 years time. HBC leader Peter Chowney told councillors […]
Councils that dabble in the property business often pay too much for the properties they are buying because they lack experience and are seen by estate agents as ‘buyers of last resort’ according to one property expert. His comments come as there were further warnings in the national press this weekend that owners of commercial […]
Prudent planning for the future or reckless behaviour creating a ‘ticking time bomb’ for Hastings Borough Council’s (HBC) finances? Your council has borrowed more than £40m in your name in the last five years to invest in commercial property – and more is planned. Like everything that happens in politics there is a group of […]
The last decade has left local authorities strapped for cash, by 2020 they will have lost 60 pence from every pound they were allocated by central government a decade earlier, according to the Local Government Association. Many councils, Hastings Borough Council (HBC) among them, have turned to the acquisition of commercial property in a bid […]
Labour members of Hastings Borough Council (HBC) are being accused of breaking their promises to the public. The council chamber was packed, almost to capacity, on Monday night when the council’s ruling cabinet met to discuss plans that could see ten acres of ground mounted solar panels (arrays) being installed on Hastings Country Park. The […]
Moving services online is bringing big benefits to Hastings Borough Council members were told on Wednesday. Councillor Judy Rogers who is responsible for the council’s corporate services told members that up until the end of October more than 136,000 reports had been made using the website – previously, she pointed out, all those reports would […]
“We should never be afraid to talk about councillors allowances,” members of Hastings Borough Council (HBC) heard on Wednesday night. Giving his support to a report prepared by Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) Councillor Rob Lee added that councillors must be prepared to talk publicly about their remuneration for the work they do. The report before […]
Members of Hastings Borough Council (HBC) spent time debating whether or not it’s gambling policy should have a ‘no casino’ clause when they met on Wednesday night even though government legislation says there could never be a casino opened in Hastings. Several members spoke on the subject before it was brought to the council’s attention […]
