A few weeks ago, I called a meeting between Hastings Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, and a representative of Hastings town centre businesses, to discuss the increase in shoplifting, anti-social behaviour (ASB) and abuse of retail and hospitality staff in the town centre, and what is to be done about it. I called this meeting because of concerns raised with me by numerous town centre businesses on the escalation of ASB and abuse, as well as groups of alcohol and/or drug users regularly congregating – with nothing seen to be done about it by Sussex Police and the local authority.
I have also received emails from residents who are frightened to go into the town centre, and to be met with the attitude of ‘it has always been like this’ or ‘it is a difficult issue to resolve’ is just not good enough. Local businesses and residents deserve better than this, especially when the town centre is due to have millions of pounds of investment for public realm works through the Town Fund. What is the point of spending millions on improvements if we still have ongoing, daily ASB and abuse issues. This undermines Hastings (and St Leonard’s) prosperity and holds back residents and businesses opportunity. Aspirations of the authorities responsible for substance misuse and law and order on our streets need to keep pace with my aspirations and those of local residents and businesses for our town - and raise their game.
The Government recently launched an Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan to combat ASB, to treat anti-social behaviour with the urgency it deserves, establish a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of ASB and give the police and local authorities the tools they need to tackle the problem. The Plan includes a number of measures including increased fines, enhanced drug testing, and swift and visible justice for perpetrators of ASB.
I very much welcome the new endowment style funding for Hastings, which is one of the fifty-five towns given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local priorities. I have consistently campaigned to ministers for more funding for Hastings and Rye, but specifically that local people, including representatives from local businesses, education, health, culture and so on should be at the centre of local decision-making. This will empower our local communities to take back control of their future – taking long term decisions in the interests of local residents and businesses. Funding is to be spent on local priorities, such as reviving high streets, tackling anti-social behaviour, improving transport and growing the local economy. This means that, for example, Hastings town centre businesses might decide that funding from the ‘Endowment Fund’ should pay for better security measures and extra police – hotspot policing - dedicated to the town centre and surrounding area. Enhanced police presence would certainly deter ASB and step-up enforcement action, ensuring that residents and businesses feel safer.
Hastings town centre has been allowed to become run-down and over run, and anti-social behaviour undermines what Hastings has to offer residents, businesses and visitors. A government report highlighted that ASB is incredibly detrimental to communities because it can result in negative social, emotional, behavioural, health and financial impacts. It does not need a government report to tell us how ASB impacts on our quality of life locally – those residents who do not visit the town centre display ‘avoidance behaviours’, and we see the result of unchecked ASB in decreased economic activity for local businesses.
The Endowment Fund marks a change in approach that will put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored by local authorities and will empower local residents to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local residents and businesses.
Along with the Levelling-up Partnership for Hastings, this Endowment Fund builds on the Conservative Government’s central mission to level up the UK by putting more power and money in the hands of people who know their areas best to build a brighter future for their community, creating bespoke initiatives that they know will spark the regeneration needed. As your MP, I will always seek to find ways of prioritising the interests of local people.