Hastings Old Town Residents Association
East Hill House
13 Tackleway
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3DE
CHAIR: Vacancy
01424-437069 — dick@hotra.org.uk
For everyone living and working in the Old Town
Report Street Problems
Click here to go to East Sussex Highways, where you can report problems such as potholes, broken paving slabs and blinking street lights.
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 20th August You can read the minutes of the meeting by clicking here.
The meeting opened with a greeting from the Mayor, James Bacon. Here's what he had to say...
Hello everyone,
I am sorry I can’t be with you tonight as Mayor of Hastings, President of HOTRA and as one of your Old Hastings Ward Councillors. Thank you to our immediate past Mayor, Cllr Nigel Sinden, for Charing the meeting today.
Since being elected in May 2016, it has been an absolute honour to represent you as one of your Ward Councillors. I remember very clearly my first HOTRA AGM, how welcoming you all were to me then and how supportive you have been over the past 5 years. Thank you for this. Politics can often be seen as an arena for conflict, but in the Old Town, it has been quite the opposite - a collaborative effort to improve the lives of those in the Old Town.
As Ward Councillor, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole of the HOTRA committee for their incredible work on behalf of Hastings Old Town. In particular, thank you to Dick and Jill for their hard work and dedication over many years and keeping the committee going through a very difficult time. I wish you all the best in your other endeavours and I wish HOTRA all the best as you embark in an exciting future ahead. Councillor Hilton and I will continue to work hard on your behalf and work with HOTRA to ensure the Old Town is best place to live and that out community continues to thrive.
As President of HOTRA, I would like to thank everyone for being such an active residents association in our beautiful seaside town. You are an exemplar to the rest of the Borough. It is an absolute privilege to be part of such a hard working and forward thinking organisation and I hope to be with you all very soon.
Since getting married in the Old Town last month, I am off next week on a short honeymoon with the new Mrs Bacon but I look forward to seeing you all out and about in the Ward when I am back.
Have a wonderful AGM and please do continue to keep in touch with any issues which come up in the Old Town. Myself and Julia will do our best to resolve these issues and we will continue to work together for you.
Take care and stay safe
MAYOR James Bacon
Congratulations to James who is starting the year as Mayor of Hastings, taking over from Cllr Nigel Sinden. This is the first time an Old Town Ward councillor has been honoured by his colleagues in this way for over 25 years. As our First Citizen James will have many duties to perform within Hastings and beyond. He will be one of the youngest members of the Cinque Ports representatives. HOTRA wishes James every Success in his tasks and hopes he has a great year.
Reducing plastic waste
Many of our local shops and businesses are doing their bit by using paper bags – we thank you for your efforts and encourage everyone to do more. The value of these shops and businesses in our local community has really been highlighted during this ongoing pandemic: shops selling food, a Post Office counter, hairdressers, locally-caught fresh fish, pubs providing a take-away food service, launderette, click- and-collect businesses, etc. A sincere thank you to all of you! For more details on buying local go to www.amazinghastings.com
Isabel Blackman Centre is SAVED!
After a long and difficult struggle, the future of this vital resource in the heart of the Old Town is at last secure. There is a town-wide consultation going on to decide exactly what role the IBC will play in our community, and what services it can realistically offer. There will be street meetings and an online survey which you can access by clicking here. (This exercise is organised by AgeUK East Sussex who are contracted to run the IBC).
New Green councillor
In an historic first, Hastings Green Party's candidate Julia Hilton has won a seat on both Hastings Borough Council (Old Hastings ward) and East Sussex County Council (Old Hastings and Tressell ward).
Julia won by a landslide in the Borough election, with a total of 1032 votes. This was 52% of the vote, and more than all the other candidates combined. The seat had previously been held by an Independent candidate, who had defected from Labour after the 2018 elections. Julia becomes the first Green ever to sit on Hastings Borough Council.
Swan Gardens
Hastings Council have had to keep the gates locked for safety reasons. The brown tailed moth has become too well established here. lt can cause a rash and skin initation. Hastings Councilare trying to avoid cutting down the shrubbery and HOTRA are helping to find ways to resolve the challenge.