Hastings Green Party

25/08/2026

Hastings Borough Council Planning Team have refused the planning application for Sandrock Bends ❌🥳

👉 Our Green councillors have been working tirelessly with officers to progress our stronger planning policies for Hastings' new Local Plan.

ℹ️ Here's how it works:

The closer we get to adopting a new Local Plan, the more weight the new, stronger policies hold when deciding current planning applications.

✅This has helped our officers make the right decision here.

🛠️ Having strong planning policy at a local level gives our Planners the tools they need to protect our Borough from inappropriate development.

👉 The new Local Plan will be coming to Cabinet and Full Council in September. Let's give Hastings the best protection we can whilst making sure all new homes are the right type, in the right place, and at the right price for our residents ✊🌳💧🏠

25/08/2026

Andy Burnham says he wants to build council homes - 🏡

But there's no requirement to do so in the new national planning policy. 👎

Instead, the policy will hand the keys to developers... 🗝️
..and remove local people's right to be heard 😶❌

➡️ Reform want to blame the lack of access to decent affordable housing not only on migrants, but on all foreign-born British citizens.

As Sian says, this is not problem-solving policy. This is racism. 🛑

Greens in Hastings:

✅ Building & buying new council homes
✅ Have prevented over 50% of new homelessness cases and stabilised temporary accommodation numbers
✅ Creating a Landlords Charter

Everyone has the right to a decent home, and our communities are stronger together. 💪 💚

Reform wants to decide who deserves a home based on where they were born.

The answer to the housing crisis is more council homes and affordable rents, not division.

20/08/2026

Huge congrats to all students getting their results this summer! 🥳🎉 😎

Whatever your next steps 🪜 as Cllr Solly Solamito, our Communities & Equalities lead, explains here - Greens firmly believe you shouldn't have to take on debt and further widen the inequality gap between the haves and have nots here in Hastings 🙂‍↔️

Greens in Government would:

🗑️ Scrap Tuition Fees
🔧 Bring back maintenance grants
💰 Fund our education system through a fairer tax system

As Labour raise interest rates, meaning some students' debts will increase, we say further education is a right - not a luxury.

By taxing extreme wealth, we can easily have a fair, funded and supported education system for all who choose it.

Whatever your path, you are our future, and we support you. 💚

08/08/2026

Our second motion was brought by Councillor Becca Horn to introduce a Youth Champion at Hastings Council.

This motion passed unanimously too 🙌

Becca says, "Decisions at Council directly affect our young residents. But how the council works isn't the easiest for young people to access! We're working to change that."

New lead for Communities & Equalities, Cllr Solly Solamito, says:

"Young people helped write this motion and are working with us to shape this new role, following the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us."

🔗 Read the full update:

https://hastings.greenparty.org.uk/2026/07/31/green-light-for-an-inclusive-hastings/

06/08/2026

Your Green Councillors have been working to make Hastings Council more inclusive with two motions passed!

First up:

At July's Full Council meeting, Councillor Yunis Smith brought his motion to make council services more accessible to neurodivergent residents.

It passed unanimously! ✅

Read the full story here:

https://hastings.greenparty.org.uk/2026/07/31/green-light-for-an-inclusive-hastings/

05/08/2026

Great turnout for the Summerfields Leisure Centre litter pick and thanks to our Greens Councillor Jo Walker Councillor Glenn Haffenden and Cllr Steph Fawbert for getting stuck in!

Cllrs Glenn Haffenden, Jo Walker and Steph Fawbert joined Freedom Leisure and local children and residents to litter pick around Summerfields and Falaise leisure centres and Hastings Museum & Art Gallery last week.

Cllr Haffenden said: “Thanks to Freedom Leisure and the residents who helped with this litter pick. It was a great opportunity to talk about recycling and how we can work together to keep our town litter free and looking at its best. We have lots of volunteers across the town who regularly litter pick, thank you to all of you for your time and effort. Please remember to put your litter in a bin while you are out and about.”

31/07/2026

Lots of our councillors going to this tomorrow - with wildfires from Suffolk to Sussex, our MPs must take note!

Been working on the Hastings People’s Emergency Briefing (PEB) National Emergency Briefing for the past few weeks with Jessica Townsend and Jane Ripley Standing Up For Nature - Hastings and Rother and others in our amazing Hastings and St Leonards community.

This year we’ve witnessed unprecedented heat, wildfires and floods yet this is the
least extreme weather we will experience in our lifetime.

We need to come together as communities to listen to the experiences of the most at risk, build mutual support, identify and implement adaptations and create resilience networks. We can’t wait for government to act - but we must pressure them to screen this film nationally. Knowledge is empowerment.

The free screening and conversation is at the Observer Building The Observer Building this Saturday. We’re at capacity but there will be other screenings to follow - the next is at Electric Palace on 27 and 29 August -

28/07/2026

FREE Energy advice tomorrow am!