FOI request (FOIR-600084236)

Local Government Finance Act

Requested Wed 27 March 2024
Responded Wed 17 April 2024

1. How does the Council consult with the business community under Section 65 of the Local Government Finance Act and which organisations are contacted?  Plus details of any meetings and who attended?  With a timescale of the municipal years for 2021/22; 2022/23 and the current municipal year 2023/24.

2. What contact has the Council had with the Federation of Small Businesses during the period referred to under 1 above.  Has the FSB been invited to participate in any relevant consultations and meetings, if so what was the topic.  Did the FSB respond?

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Response

Hastings Borough Council works with the following business representative organisations:

• Hastings Business Improvement District – Love Hastings

• Let's Do Business – local and regional business support organisation.

• Hastings Chamber of Commerce

• Business East Sussex

It should be noted there are many support and consultation activity conducted by East Sussex County Council in which our businesses participate.

We are a two-tier authority. Meetings between Hastings Borough Council (HBC) and business representative organisations are organised as required and not on a regular cycle.

Various HBC officers from different departments attend meetings when requested and it would be difficult to collate this information across the whole organisation.

Direct meeting between HBC and FSB has not taken place recently but officers do meet them regularly in many wider East Sussex business forums.