Budget savings to include council job cuts in Hastings

At a full council meeting on Wednesday (February 19), Hastings councillors approved the authority’s annual budget for 2020/21, including savings targets and 25.7 full time equivalent jobs to be cut (some of which are currently vacant).

The full budget also includes plans to draw a further £1.182m from the council’s reserves and increase  council tax by 1.99 per cent, leaving an average band D property paying £2,053.40 each year once increases from other authorities are taken into account.

Meanwhile, a band A household (the most common banding in Hastings) would have a £1,368.93 annual bill.

According to a statement released after the meeting, council leader Peter Chowney said: “Since 2010 we’ve lost £60 million in funding, which is a lot out of an annual budget of £14-to-15 million.

“A lot of what we used to do, such as apprenticeships and training – all gone.”

He added: “If the current government doesn’t come to its senses, the whole structure of local government will come crashing down.”

As well as job cuts, savings included in the budget include plans to cut back the subsidy for the West St Leonards and Alexandra Park bowling greens, reduce the overtime hours of Hastings Museum staff and to cut back the council’s CCTV system. 

Core funding for the Stade Saturdays and Active Hastings projects are also to be cut back. 

The Conservative group put forward four amendments to the Labour budget, although all four were rejected at the vote.

The four amendments were: to move to all-out elections every four years; to reduce councillors’ allowances; to move the council’s contact centre out of the town hall; and to preserve funding for the West St Leonards and Alexandra Park bowling greens for 2020/21.

According to the Conservatives, the reduction in councillors’ allowances (as well as a freeze to the special allowances paid to cabinet members and committee chairs) would save the council around £11,330. 

Meanwhile the move to all-out elections – rather than half the council seats being up for election every two years – would save around the cost of running council elections (roughly £110,000) every two years, the Conservatives said. 

Conservatives argued the third amendment could save as much as £85,000 in a full year, although this would assume the town hall could be rented out. 

The final amendment would cost the council £20,000.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Lee said: “I am disappointed that Labour did not support any of these sensible and costed amendments, including the reduction of councillors allowances. 

“Councillors’ allowances in Hastings are some of the highest in the South East and to continue with annual increases to them whilst cutting jobs is not a good look”