Observer column 2 August 2024

Last week at a public council meeting the chief exec and senior officers from Southern Water apologised for their disastrous performance in Hastings over the past few years. We had expected to be told of specific plans outlining how Southern Water will tackle the many infrastructure failures that have resulted in residents suffering water outages, sewage leaks, and two flooding episodes that have devastated residents' homes - and lives. However we learned that it would be another three months before they could offer us detailed plans. The current proposals have been deemed inadequate by Ofwat, so it's clear Southern Water have a lot more work to do before they can come back to councillors and residents and satisfy us that they have rigorous plans in place.

I have met a number of individual employees of Southern Water who are obviously passionate and committed to the process of turning this company around and earning our trust, but so far we have no specific commitments from the company itself. Attendees were justifiably furious at the continued lack of proper compensation for the over 30,000 residents who were without a water supply for several days over the May Bank holiday. I have written to Ofwat and Emma Hardy, the new minister at Defra who's job is to hold Ofwat to account, asking how Southern Water's interpretation of the water compensation regulations can possibly be justified in this case, considering that they have known since 2007 that this main supply pipe was in need of replacement. I have asked Ofwat to require Southern Water to properly compensate individual customers by reducing their bills, as would normally be the case in a water outage.

Critical infrastructure investment such as water supply and sewage treatment will be essential to delivering the government's housing ambitions. We await advice as to how a small coastal town surrounded by protected landscapes and the sea is supposed to deliver an additional 282 homes a year on top of our existing targets, as the government announced this week.

Residents are rightly concerned about the future of St Mary in the Castle so I was pleased to attend a community meeting to gather ideas for how this much loved building could be brought to life again. At the end of the meeting a small group of local people agreed to come together to work on plans. I committed to working with them on a community-led solution for the building. Do get in touch if you have skills you can offer and want to be involved.

Finally, a shout out to our wonderful Library of Things, where you can borrow anything from a tent to a tea urn, in return for a membership of £3. I was pleased to be able to borrow a wheelchair from them when I broke my ankle a few weeks ago. It is a wonderful resource. You can find them at the contact centre in the Old Town Hall, near Priory Meadow.