Will Michael and Amber join the fight for St Mary in the Castle?

Dear Michael and Amber,

I was surprised and disappointed that neither you, nor any Labour or Conservative councillors, attended the public meeting on 15 December to discuss the future of St Mary in the Castle.

I am enclosing a link to the article which I expect you have read in the paper this week.

[I would have sent a link from the Observer website itself, but the article is no longer available there]

I hope you agree with the comments made on behalf of us attendees by Erica Smith. Particularly, that “It would not be in the interests of St Mary-in-the-Castle or the community to ‘mothball’ the building in the hope that a future tenant will come along.

“We would like the council to allow time to explore a community involvement in the future of St Mary-in-the-Castle, for example, as a social enterprise charged with the responsibility of managing the facility.”

The current deadline for expressions of interest is noon tomorrow.

It is desirable that there is cross-party consensus both to preserve this beautiful building and to support the community organisations that have expressed their views at and by the public meeting.

Will you commit to this, so we can move the debate forward along all-party lines?

I hope very much that you will, and that you will contact Cllr Peter Armstrong as soon as possible to make that clear. He can be reached on (01424) 430634.

With best wishes to you for the festive period; yours truly,

[What do you think Hastings Borough Council should do about St Mary in the Castle?  Please send in your views using the form below]

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Nick urges Council to look at Brighton experience of communal bins

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful for Hastings & Rye, has urged Hastings Borough Council to look at the experience of Brighton residents when deciding whether or not to implement proposals for communal bins in those areas which do not have Twin Bins.

Speaking at the weekend, Nick said – “If you go online and tap ‘communal bins’ into The Argus website, you come up with letter after letter from residents who have been angered by the imposition of these bins by the local Council.”

Nick, who lives in Manor Road, Hastings, went door-to-door at the beginning of November to discuss the situation with his neighbours. Out of 21 Manor Road residents that he spoke to, 17 did not want the bins, two were in favour, and two did not mind either way.

Residents are concerned that the bins might reduce on-street parking and provide an opportunity for fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour.

Nick says, “Everyone should have had their consultation document from Hastings Borough Council by now. Cllr Peter Armstrong and I are encouraging people to complete the survey and send it back before 12 January. We need local residents to engage with the process, and we need the Council to listen to what local people are saying.

“I have a lot of sympathy with people who feel that the weekly collection that we get at the moment is, for the most part, working well.”

[If you have a comment about Hastings Borough Council's communal bins proposals please send them in using the form below]

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