Fees and charges to be debated by Cabinet

Hastings Borough Council's Cabinet is due to discuss fees and charges for 2024-25 at its Cabinet meeting on Monday 4 December.

Across the council's services, the proposal is to increase fees and charges by 10% to account for the continued rising cost to deliver services due to inflation and other factors. Some services will see higher increases where this is necessary to cover the cost of running the service, for example the cost of tickets on the East and West Hill Cliff Railways will increase to help pay for repairs and maintenance to the lifts.

There are limits to the amount that councils are allowed to charge for some services, so costs have not increased for these services. These include most planning and licensing charges which are at the maximum level currently allowed by government.

Cllr Paul Barnett, leader of the council and lead for finance, said: "We know that lots of our residents continue to feel the impact of cost of living increases and the council is also feeling these pressures. Unfortunately in our financial situation we are unable to absorb most increased costs to provide services and must pass these on. We are though trying to minimise the increases that affect the most vulnerable in our town."

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