Government cuts versus Big Society

While the authority is not under the cosh as much as neighbouring Hastings, the implications for services in the Bexhill area are huge.

In the past, Rother has been cautiously optimistic in the face of cuts from central government, mainly due to its own financial cushion of reserves.

However, now that the hard figures have arrived, leader of the council Carl Maynard says there is just not the money available to run services to the level experienced to date.

The prospect of other organisations running vital services is a stark reflection of Prime Minister David Cameron’s mantra of the Big Society.

Giving greater responsibility back to the community is a great idea on paper - but how will it work if there is little or no cash around for such projects?

It’s very likely the Tories nationally had this in mind when extolling the idea of the Big Society - a spin on what was going to happen to the account books.

Whatever one can read into the situation as speculation, the fact remains that we are all in for an extremely bumpy ride.