Rother District Council Leader: Plenty to look forward to in 2025

It’s been a cold and wet start to the new year and my mind turns to those facing homelessness and sleeping rough around the district.

Over the Christmas period Rother District Council initiated its Severe Weather Protocol which ensures that anyone sleeping on the streets is offered a room when temperatures dip below zero.

At the end of last year Rother District Council was allocated an additional £26,500 in Winter Pressure funding from Government to help support people faced with sleeping rough in extreme weather over the coming months.

We face huge pressures in providing emergency accommodation and support for some of the most vulnerable people and the Government funding is welcome and will go some way to easing those pressures.

Our current Rough Sleeping Initiative covers 2022 to 2025 and work has already begun on how we can move our strategy forward and manage the pressures, particularly during the cold weather.

We are braced for a busy year at Rother District Council, and we have plenty to look forward to.

We ended 2024 with long-awaited answers on the Northeye issue after almost two years of uncertainty.

The new Government has confirmed that the plan to use the former prison site to house asylum seekers will not be progressed.

Whilst we will not have any involvement in the onward sale, we will be keeping a close eye on developments.

We also look forward this year to working with Britannia Hotels, owners of Pontins, on the future of the Camber Sands site.

Its sudden closure at the end of 2023 had a devastating impact on jobs, local businesses and the local community, and answers were not forthcoming from the company.

But talks shortly before Christmas brought the good news that Britannia Hotels intends to redevelop the site as a holiday destination, and a promise that the company will work with local partners, including the district council as plans progress.

There’s a mixed bag this year when it comes to financial issues. While we continue to work on ways to balance our 2025/26 budget amid soaring costs and rising demand, we look forward to seeing the benefits that will come from various pots of Government funding.

Work continues this year to improve the De La Warr Pavilion and the development a new community hub in Sidley – both projects are being made possible thanks to the £19.3 million Levelling Up Fund grant from central Government.

The district council will continue to support the Bexhill Town Board which continues to draw up its investment plan to secure the £20 million of Long-term Plan for Towns funding announced by Government last year.

The funding is designed to boost economic growth, improve infrastructure, enhance social wellbeing and reduce inequalities over the next decade, and while projects are Bexhill focussed the impact will be far more widespread.

I look forward to working with communities and partners this year to find ways to make Rother an even more amazing place to live, work and visit.