Hastings Borough Council Leader: We're looking for a passionate community leader

We are looking for a chair of the board who will work with and empower local communities to shape how we invest this money across the town. This is a precious opportunity to come up with community driven and creative plans to revive our town centres and try out new ideas which could include, support for all our fantastic cultural heritage and tourism offers, helping local businesses transform for a zero carbon future as well as providing opportunities for community energy groups to help people make their homes warm and more affordable to heat. A full list of the possible investment themes can be found at Plan for Neighbourhoods: pre-approved interventions - GOV.UK. Full details for applying to be the chair for the Plan for Neighbourhoods are on the HBC website and the closing date is 22 May.

As I have mentioned many times in this column over the last few months, a huge part of my and the rest of the council’s time is being taken up with responding to the government’s plans to reorganise how local government works.

I promised at the last full council meeting in March that we would be seeking residents’ views on the way forward and that process will start next week. There will be an online survey as well as flyers laying out the current options as well as asking what you currently value about the services both this council and East Sussex Council provide and where you think a new council could do better. There will be a number of meetings and drop ins across the town including supermarkets and shopping centres like Priory Meadow over May and June if you would rather have a conversation in person.

I am determined that whatever the future council looks like in terms of size and geography, it has to have empowering our communities at its heart alongside closer local control over key issues like the provision of education in our town, improving housing and ensuring we continue to protect and enhance much loved assets like our green spaces, leisure and cultural treasures like our much loved award winning Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.

On the tenth of May a new exhibition based around Agatha Christie and her series of crime novels opens at the museum, well worth a trip.

Finally huge congratulations to the team behind the recently refurbished tennis courts at Alexandra Park. They won the Lawn Tennis Association’s Park Venue of the year award, and our tennis coach Joe Adams won coach of the year. Improving sports facilities in the town is a key part of our corporate plan so this makes a great start to that ambition.

Here’s hoping this fantastic weather stays for Jack in the Green this weekend!