Budget for 2024 to be debated by Cabinet

Hastings Borough Council's budget for 2024-25 is due to be discussed by Cabinet members at their December meeting.

The budget proposals detail how the council will work towards more shared services with other councils and organisations to help reduce staffing costs and improve resilience and capacity. The council needs to save more than £4m in 2024/25.

Members of the public are still able to have their say on the proposals, with comments and feedback summarised at the meeting on Monday 4 December. Full details are available on the council website. There will also be a public event at Stade Hall on Tuesday 28 November from 1-7pm for residents to talk to councillors and senior officers about the proposals.

Cllr Paul Barnett, leader of the council, said: "We will continue to talk to the government about additional support for our increasing housing costs, but while these conversations are on-going, we will have to make difficult decisions to ensure we can balance our budget without additional financial support.

"We are not proposing to spend council reserves to balance the budget, recent events have shown that we need to have money for emergencies, so we will be working hard to balance the budget without spending our reserves."

You can read the full documents online and have your say by emailing consultation@hastings.gov.uk or completing the online form. The consultation is open until 12 noon on Friday 1 December. Comments will be summarised and included in the discussion on Monday 4 December.

You can read the full report online, and watch the meeting live on Monday 4 December from 6pm online, or attend in person.