Over 100 Labour MPs are threatening to vote against the government to stop cuts to welfare benefits. They seem to think that taking away Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from around one million sick and disabled people is not what they were elected to do.
But not our MP. No, the very ambitious new MP for Hastings and Rye, Helena Dollimore, decided to add her name (or maybe she was the lead author?) to a public letter urging the government to go ahead with these cuts, even before they were officially announced. Read more…
The latest from Hex
- Archery Gardens: When Hastings Got an Arrow in the Eye
Hex News Team Archery Gardens is an almost-completed housing development in St Leonards. It used to have Hastings College on the site, and before that it was Victorian landscaping with some fancy houses. The 117 homes we see now on the site were built by local Battle-based developer Gemselect, in partnership with one of the… - Who Runs This Town? Communities Vs Developers
Grace L One year after taking charge of Hastings Council many of our local councillors look ready to throw in the towel. Residents turned up to the 9 June meeting of the council cabinet (the leading members of council) to demand answers about the old Bathing Pool site and Sandrock Bends – two incredibly unpopular… - Strangled by Red TapeAn account from a frontline support worker The headlines about the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit are bad enough, but there are also subtleties happening in the sidelines that we all should pay attention to. The changes to disability benefits drawn up in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support…
- Cut it Out
Over 100 Labour MPs are threatening to vote against the government to stop cuts to welfare benefits. They seem to think that taking away Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from around one million sick and disabled people is not what they were elected to do. But not our MP. No, the very ambitious new MP for… - Voices of Hastings Residents – March 26 Disability Protest
On March 26th, Hex writer Andrea joined a march in Hastings, East Sussex, to protest against the disability cuts. Andrea interviewed members of the public about how the new four-point ruling and disability cuts will affect them personally. - “It’s like being in prison”
Grace L Hastings Borough Council (HBC) is being asked to review how they support disabled residents into suitable accommodation, after a disabled woman revealed she has been in temporary accommodation for three years that has no wheelchair access onto the street. She is now being moved to another property where she won’t even be able… - Stand up for wildlife and stop town centre flooding
Jane Ripley Recently I went to the Save Sandrock Bends campaign, who held a public meeting on the proposed development of the beautiful and biodiverse site on the corner opposite the Conquerors March on The Ridge, for where an Outline Planning Application has recently been made. I went on behalf of our group Standing up… - Southern Housing: destroying homes at any cost
Grace L and Merlin Betts On 12 February Lucie Lambourne’s mother was murdered in their family home in Bexhill. The man arrested for the crime has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial in August. But as the results of this tragedy continue to unfold, Southern Housing wants to take Lucie’s family home, and sell it… - Sheltered accommodation in a building site?
Simon Lee, secretary of Hastings Area Southern Housing Tenants’ Association, describes the chaos unfolding as Southern Housing repair Bevin Court so it can be demolished. Shirley lives a quiet life on the tenth floor. She loves her neighbours and often has her meals with Jennifer and Brian who live a few floors lower. Their support… - News in Brief – Hastings Independent 275 – 25/04/2025Merlin Betts News in brief involves a Hex journalist summarising the news displayed in another local media outlet for that week or fortnight. The summaries will likely include personal comments and additional research not present in the original article. If you don’t like that, well, you were warned. Last week’s news in brief was covering…
- Hastings Assembles for Local DemocracyOn 29 March, Hastings Assembles held a community assembly for two hours in Hastings Town Centre, for local people to meet and discuss the planned changes to local government, including the plan to abolish Hastings Borough Council and bring in a new elected mayor for all of Sussex. The afternoon kicked off with Julia Hilton, leader of Hastings council, explaining the overall…
- Alternatives to New BuildGrace Lally Shared from Hastings Extinction Rebellion, summarising points Grace made at a public discussion on 5 October 2024. Environment v Housing Need? Why do we NEED to build new housing? REAL reasons to build new housing? Myth 1: New houses are more sustainable Other environmental impacts of construction Myth 2: We have a shortage…