Leader of Hastings Borough Council column September

This week the government voted to remove the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners

This is extremely worrying for a town that has more than its fair share of poorly insulated homes and could see many pensioners struggling to keep warm this winter. If this has left you or someone in your family worried about heating, do find out whether you or they could receive pension credit, which ensures eligibility for the winter fuel payment. . Across the country up to 880,000 pensioners could be missing out on this cash boost worth on average about £3,900 per year.

Pensioners whose weekly income is below £218.15 for a single person or £332.95 for a couple should use the Department of Work and Pension’s online calculator check to see if they are eligible for this support. You can also go to warmeastsussex.org.uk to see if you are eligible for a Warm Home Check that can help with advice on how best to keep your home warm and reduce energy costs.

Investing more money in making our homes more energy efficient should be an absolute priority for this government in the autumn budget. It’s a win on so many levels: reducing energy bills, providing good green jobs, and reducing carbon emissions.

This month Coastal Currents once again showcased our hugely talented town full of artists and makers as well as adding to the great outdoor art gallery of murals and graffiti art with new pieces enlivening West Street and West St Leonards. If you are a reader then you have the treat of Hastings book festival in store, which starts this weekend. We are very lucky in this town to have so many people willing to give their time and energy to enriching our lives with a multitude of festivals and events – many of them free – that make life in Hastings so interesting and stimulating. It’s the reason that Hastings is a priority place for organisations like Historic England, Arts Council, and the Heritage Lottery Fund, who all visited this week in order to better understand more how they might help build on the great work already going on here, including Project Artworks’ ground-breaking work with neuro-diverse artists and the restoration of Holy Trinity Church at the heart of the Trinity Triangle.

Next Friday at 10.30 I will be starting the first of what I hope will be a monthly Facebook live event with an interview with Celia Farrar from Troika projects, the team selected to start work on the Town Deal project to start bringing Hastings Castle and the West Hill Cafe back to life. It will be a chance to find out more about the early stage proposals. Please email any questions you have about the project to [email protected] by Wednesday next week. I would love to hear your ideas for topics for future Facebook live events.