As this year’s 40th anniversary Jack in the Green celebrations start this weekend so does the local tourist season, but this has been a matter of much discussion and concern in the town recently.
Hastings Borough Councils finances have stood on a cliff edge for some time, due to a perfect storm of poor decision making, under funding from national government and spiralling expenditure, particularly in relation to temporary accommodation.
Now it’s not just a case of a cliff edge, more a case of being over the cliff and hanging on by its fingernails for dear life. More hard decisions will need to be made and the council is at risk of becoming insolvent if serious savings aren’t achieved.
However, the small amount of money that the council contributes to the many festivals this town is famous for, has a huge multiplier effect in the local economy, so we must find creative ways to ensure funding is secured for the future. There was a reprieve this year on making any cuts but currently funding is due to be pulled from 2024. Tourism was not so lucky with the council withdrawing from 1066 Country marketing with no replacement plan in place. A short-sighted move for a town so reliant on the visitor economy.
We are not the only region feeling the financial chill. Cornwall County Council decided a few years ago that it could no longer finance its tourist offering. Instead, Visit Cornwall – an independent company – generates its own income from sponsorship, membership fees and advertising. Local rail and water companies are proud sponsors. Every penny generated by Visit Cornwall goes into funding Destination Cornwall and supporting the tourism industry, attracting visitors and getting businesses noticed.
We should look at a similar model for Hastings. Southern Water is keen to rehabilitate itself, after so much negative publicity: couldn’t it support our tourism? Hastings has many thriving local businesses that could help devise a plan.
Which brings us back to Jack in the Green. Tourists have a powerful thirst, and our sympathetic publicans are only too happy to help. The downside is the waste: the thousands of plastic cups to be collected and disposed of.
So here’s a chance to salute Bob Tipler, landlord of the Albion pub, who has organised the glass deposit scheme for Jack in the Green this year. At least 13 pubs in the old town are taking part. Each will be supplying a re-useable plastic glass – with the pub logo – for a returnable deposit of £2. The Albion actually had its own deposit scheme ready to go pre-Covid. I encouraged him to bring it in in time for Jack in the Green and to make it a town-wide initiative. Bob has done an amazing job of getting so many old town pubs on board with this. This will avoid the use of thousands of single use plastic cups.
I hope a similar scheme can be rolled out to all the town’s pubs over the summer so Hastings can lead the way to becoming a plastic free town.