Hastings gets major new investment to clean and maintain our high streets

Funded by the UK Government, the Pride in Place Impact Fund will invest up to £500,000 in new street cleaning vehicles, equipment and proactive services designed to tackle litter, grime, fly tipping and long standing ‘grotbusting’ priorities.

New vehicles and equipment will provide a more preventative and visible approach to maintaining the town’s busiest areas and mark a major step forward in creating cleaner, safer and more welcoming public spaces for residents, businesses and visitors.

A new proactive jet washing programme and a dedicated high footfall ‘hit squad’ will provide regular pavement cleaning, litter removal and rapid response to fly tipping and other issues.

New electric lightweight waste collection carts will allow crews to empty bins more frequently and maintenance will also be strengthened including specialist chewing gum removal machinery, helping to improve the appearance and safety of our high streets.

In addition to the capital funding provided by government, Hastings Borough Council has also committed additional revenue investment to expand and strengthen street cleaning and maintenance teams. This additional funding ensures that the new vehicles and equipment can be staffed and deployed effectively, allowing for more frequent, proactive and visible activity across our high streets.

By increasing operational capacity as well as equipment, the council is making a long-term commitment to higher standards of cleanliness, quicker responses to issues and a more consistently well-maintained public realm.

To support the town’s strong volunteer network, the provision of community litter picking equipment will also be expanded, enabling more local groups to take part in clean ups throughout the year.

Improvements will be delivered across Hastings’ high street areas including the town centre and seafront, Old Town, Central St Leonards, Ore Village and Silverhill.

This investment responds directly to the community priorities identified during last summer’s Hastings Pride in Place consultation, where residents consistently highlighted the need for cleaner, safer and better maintained public spaces.

The enhanced cleaning, grotbusting and maintenance programme reflects those priorities by delivering visible improvements in the places people use every day, representing a transformational step in improving public spaces, tackling long standing maintenance challenges and restoring pride across Hastings’ high streets.

Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings, Rye and villages said: “As a coastal community, Hastings’ seafront should be the jewel in our town crown. Hundreds of residents came to my public meeting this week to show how strongly they felt about the need to clean up our seafront. Secretary of State Steve Reed was in attendance – and he has listened to everyone’s concerns. This £500k of funding from the Government will go a long way towards cleaning up our town and making Hastings an even better place to live."

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Leader of Hastings Borough Council said: “Cleaner, safer and more attractive streets are central to creating a town that people feel proud of. This investment gives our teams the tools and capacity they need to stay ahead of problems rather than react to them, and the shift to electric equipment reflects our commitment to more sustainable ways of working.

"I’m pleased that we have been able to agree additional HBC revenue budget to ensure these new vehicles are properly staffed, so we can deliver the level of service our residents expect across all our high streets.”

Procurement of the new vehicles and equipment has begun, with all items expected to be fully deployed across Hastings’ high streets by the end of the year.

Regular updates will be shared via the council’s website and social media channels.

Notes for editors:
Hastings was selected in September 2025 by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to receive £1.5m of capital funding as part of the Pride in Place Impact Fund which aims to rebuild community pride in their local area through building strong, resilient, prosperous, and inclusive communities.

Further details on the Pride in Place Impact fund can be found here: Pride in Place Impact Fund: prospectus - GOV.UK

The Pride in Place Impact Fund is separate, and in addition to, the wider Pride in Place programme which will see funding of £20 million for Hastings over the next ten years. Hastings Neighbourhood Board formally submitted its regeneration plan to government for approval on 28 November 2025.

Following approval of the plan by government (expected early 2026) Hastings Neighbourhood Board will decide how to implement the plan including the application process for funding requests and the expected timeline for this.