Two good things have happened for Rye in the last month: firstly, the town hosted the 70th National Town Criers Championship and secondly, we are keeping our railway station ticket office.
Rye’s own town crier, Paul Goring, with the invaluable support of Rye Town Council and local sponsors, stepped into the breach left by Hastings Borough Council and ensured that the National Town Crier Championship remained in 1066 country.
As many are aware, Hastings Borough Council (HBC) has been facing financial difficulties for some time. A politically impartial Local Government Association Finance Peer Challenge reported on the financial situation of HBC (in March 2023). The report states that the council is facing bankruptcy due to rising costs and a lack of savings, and may have to issue a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt if costs continue to grow and savings are not made. The report also mentioned that the Peer Review Team not only expressed concern about the council’s financial sustainability, it also expressed concern about the lack of scrutiny before decision-making, a lack of strategic planning, the low level of unallocated revenue reserves, the record on achievements of savings, and overspend in housing.
The Peer Challenge recommended that the [Labour] political decision-making needs to be "streamlined and focused on reducing costs, controlling spending, achieving savings, and rebuilding the revenue reserves" and that "aspirational projects need to be temporarily put on hold whilst focus is given to tackling the revenue budget problems and putting the council on a sustainable financial footing". A number of the previous recommendations made in 2022 to help the council tackle its homelessness problem and reduce costs were also highlighted as not being addressed. Damning indeed.
These financial difficulties have led HBC to make some rather odd decisions, such as cutting all the funding (£50,000) to destination management organisation, 1066 Country, and of course, the reported £2,000 to host the National Town Criers Championship. I have received a number of complaints from Rye-based tourism and hospitality businesses about this decision and contacted HBC on their behalf. 1066 Country has a 25-year built-up reputation taking charge of advertising our region and supporting our businesses. HBC decided that it ‘wants to go alone’ – an unfortunate decision as destination management organisations like 1066 Country are key to growing our local tourism and hospitality economy, which is estimated to bring £385 million to the Hastings area each year and provides around 7,000 jobs. HBC’s decision to cut this funding to 1066 Country could have a negative impact on the local industry and put it at risk. It not only impacts on Hastings but on Rye and the surrounding area. A decision which shows a total lack of strategic thinking.
However, good old Rye came to the rescue, and whilst the town crier competition is very much in keeping with Hastings cultural heritage - it is said that town criers came to the fore with William of Normandy’s invasion in 1066 - it is also in keeping with Rye’s cultural heritage and will also play a role in Rye’s socio-economic development. It goes to show that whilst it is important for local councils to prioritise their spending and make tough decisions regarding expenditure, it is equally important to consider the impact of these decisions on the community and its socio-economic development.
On Tuesday morning I received a telephone call from the Department of Transport informing me that the government has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals for reform of the ticket offices. They wanted to let me know directly, as I had been a strong advocate on behalf of residents for our local ticket offices. I had also actively lobbied the powers that be that should the proposed reforms go ahead, Rye must be treated in the same way as Hastings, as a travel hub, with all the existing services and opening times. There will be further work on railway reform with the expansion of contactless Pay As You Go ticketing and making stations more accessible through the Access for All programme. I want to thank all those people who contacted me about this issue – it certainly made my argument stronger.
These are two positive news stories for Rye, driven by local residents (I include myself as local!). This local action benefits our community, in the same way that people pulled together to save Rye pool. These ‘wins’ help boost our morale and community spirit, as well as instilling a sense of pride. It shows that we care.
Sally-Ann Hart MP will be holding a Surgery in Rye on Friday, November 17 between 2pm and 3:30pm. This is by appointment only. If you have an issue that you would like to discuss with Sally-Ann please telephone 01424 716756 or email her at sallyann.hart.mp@parliament.uk to arrange an appointment.
