What we want to achieve

The following three outcomes set out intentions for our citizens and town. The six priorities listed and how we will deliver these will be monitored and reviewed quarterly.

There is an update to the Corporate Plan for 2023-24 which sets out the council's priorities for the coming year.

Outcomes

• Our citizens live safe, happy, healthy, independent lives with the most vulnerable protected
• A council fit for the future that our citizens trust because we place them at the centre of all we do
• A pleasant well-maintained borough that we protect and invest in.

Priorities

Tackling homelessness and ensuring quality housing

How we will deliver this:

• Collecting tax and delivering benefits to those in need as best we can
• Implementing our housing strategy and action plan to meet our statutory duty
• Increasing our supply of temporary accommodation to reduce emergency accommodation costs
• Managing the provision of and actively promoting disabled facilities grants and enforcing mandatory licensing of rented accommodation.

Keeping Hastings clean and safe

How we will deliver this:

• Improving 'streetscene' through the council's new in-house street cleansing service
• Working with the council's new refuse and recycling contractor (BIFFA), to ensure they provide a good household refuse and recycling service
• Working with partners and licensees to improve community safety and promote good and safe standards within pubs and clubs
• Working with the proprietors of food premises such as restaurants and takeaways to promote good standards of hygiene and safety.

Making best use of our buildings, land and public realm assets

How we will deliver this:

• Ensuring public assets the council is responsible for remain safe, secure and fit for purpose (for example, our cliffs and reservoir)
• Maximising return on investment on these assets through sales, rents, maintenance or development
• Ensuring our planning service and policies create better places to live, work and invest, while protecting and enhancing the borough.

Minimising environment and climate harm in all that we do

How we will deliver this:

• Ensuring our services, buildings, land and development schemes are as energy and waste efficient and carbon neutral as possible
• Generating income and offsetting carbon emissions through solar and wind power on our buildings and land where feasible
• Championing plans to make our borough carbon neutral and energy self sufficient on our website, so that you can get involved and track progress.

Delivery of our major regeneration schemes

How we will deliver this:

• Securing appropriate funding opportunities in partnership, to enable schemes the council and its partners may not otherwise afford to do
• Making sure our major regeneration schemes are:
  • Focused directly or indirectly on transforming life opportunities for those with the greatest need
  • Prioritised based on citizen benefit and value for money
  • Income generating, where monies can be ploughed back or schemes directly support our most vulnerable citizens
  • Complementary to those regulatory services the council must provide.

Ensuring the council can survive and thrive into the future

How we will deliver this:

• Balancing our budget and continuing to review what we do and how we do it
• Reshaping our staff structure to make sure they best meet the needs of our citizens
• Enabling citizens better access to services online by design and using their feedback and data to help us make our services the best they can be
• Enhancing our website so citizens can track what we do, hold us to account, contribute to and be clear on the direction of travel for the town.