Observer article Jan 31 2023
January has been quite a month for Hastings, with strikes, fire and flooding reminding us of the reason for investment in the public sector, both workers and infrastructure. Our sewage and drainage systems are not up to the task of dealing with extreme rainfall events, which are likely to be more frequent over the coming years as the climate crisis hits home. Unlike all but a very few countries, England and Wales have outsourced the provision of public water and sewage systems to private companies. For years many of them have failed to invest sufficiently in their own infrastructure.
I am grateful for the continued energy and activism of local clean-water campaigners. We are a tourist town and it’s essential our water company and the Environment Agency get to grips with this. Southern Water’s goal is to get to an average of 18 discharges per outfall per year. Last year sewage discharges in outfalls across Hastings and St Leonards increased from 151 in 2021 to over 234, yet so far there is no local plan of action to reduce this. The council, county council, Environment Agency and Southern Water, need to work on a climate adaptation plan for our town that includes strengthening infrastructure.
In this year’s council budget consultation the main focus has been to devise sustainable ways to provide emergency and temporary accommodation for those struggling to find decent affordable homes in our town. There is now a task force made up of officers and councillors working toward solutions.
More tents housing homeless people are appearing as we see the fallout of the end of the government funded ‘everyone in’ policy that provided all rough sleepers with a roof over their heads during the Covid pandemic. Even if you do have a roof over your head you can still be classified as homeless ― staying with friends or family, in a hostel, a night shelter, a women’s refuge, a squat, a car, or indeed a tent. Often these circumstances involve a risk of violence or abuse, putting up with poor health conditions or living apart from family. This week I visited Warming up the Homeless in Bexhill and met their chief executive Trudy Hampton who knows the complexities involved in trying to resolve the homelessness crisis. The charity provides food and support to 600 people a week across Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne, as they say, ‘one meal, hot drink or change of clothes at a time’.
The council’s corporate plan makes much of engaging in partnerships with our voluntary sector. There is a wealth of expertise on tackling homelessness in charities such as Warming up the Homeless and Seaview. The council should be commissioning services from these organisations. It would save the town money, keep money local and secure funding for these essential charities. We need to work together to learn from their experience, and maintain the kind of flexibility required to ensure we develop a housing strategy that provides everyone who needs it with a roof over their heads, not just those the council is obliged to provide for.