Observer column 26 March 2026

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, leader of the council and lead councillor for community wellbeing 

During my time as leader of the council and lead councillor for community wellbeing, I have really enjoyed getting out and meeting many of the community groups and organisations who are doing amazing work across our town. 

Over the last four years, we have received almost £1.5million from the UK government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The UKSPF is the government’s domestic replacement for the European Structural and Investment Programme (ESIF). It provides local authorities funding for communities, places, businesses, people and skills.  

We were given £1million to spend between 2022 and 2025, and we made the decision to focus on Broomgrove so we could make the most difference to a small area. Projects were set up to make a difference to residents’ lives. These first projects included working with Southern Housing to improve the communal spaces in Broomgrove; Active Hastings running sessions for a range of ages and abilities at Broomgrove Community Centre; children’s musical sessions with Soundcastle; Broomgrove Community Centre was improved and extended; the In2Play adventure play area was improved; a social supermarket was set up by Oasis Community Project in conjunction with the Big Local North East Hastings and Hastings Voluntary Action; Let’s Do Business ran some business set-up courses; and Hastings Storytelling Festival ran an amazing community event, Broomgrove moths. 

These first projects were hugely successful and really positively received by residents. We were lucky to get additional funding of almost £500,000 for 2025-26 and we decided to expand the project out across northeast Hastings with a particular focus on Downs Farm. The community-focused projects have continued there, and we’ve been able to deliver projects including: Groundwork South’s green engagement projects which includes after school sessions  for children across Downs Farm, Halton and Farley Bank; physical activity through Active Hastings including seated exercise classes; business advice and support through Let’s Do Business; skills and employability via East Sussex County Council; a social supermarket in Broomgrove and development work for further food projects with Hastings Food Bank; solar panels at Ore Community Library; improvements to the roof at Ore Community Centre; improved lighting in Downs Farm and improvements to Ore Cemetery; and part-funding Hastings and St Leonards Men’s Shed to be able to purchase the building they operate from.  

I was delighted that we were able to agree £150,000 in the Hastings Borough Council budget for 2026-27 to continue some of these projects with a local focus. We have also agreed a further £1million for 2027-28. It has been great to see the really community-led projects, focusing on areas that residents have told us they want us to concentrate on. A hyper-local focus has allowed us to make the biggest difference with this funding, and we have been able to learn over the past four years. 

You can keep up-to-date and find out more on our UKSPF webpages.