By Rebecca Maer
More details have emerged of drastic spending cuts planned in Eastbourne to save £2.2 million to cover the costs of homelessness.
The cuts will affect many aspects of life ranging from finding an outside operator for the town’s theatres and rationalising swimming pools to increasing parking charges and not weeding pavements.
Savings will come from “discretionary” services, areas the council is not required to provide, as opposed to statutory services the council must provide by law, such as housing.
Residents will be consulted on some of the proposals including those relating to public toilets, parking, the Sovereign Centre and alternative uses for the Victorian Town Hall building in Grove Road.
Reports for next week’s Cabinet meeting are here, revealing where the axe is likely to fall and how much each cut could save. Councillors will consider the proposals.
The borough council is hoping to save a total of £1 million by finding an external operator to run the theatres and a private company for the town’s conference and catering.
The authority could start a ‘community toilet scheme’ to save £200,000 on operating public toilets although it is not clear what this means.
‘No weeding’
The council says it will not weed pavements unless it receives enough subsidy from East Sussex County Council, which is responsible for this, and parking charges and hours are being reviewed.
The way the Sovereign Centre pool and gym operates will be under scrutiny with a suggestion of “rationalising the number of pools available” with a target of saving £359,000. The centre will transfer to operator Wave Active next year, which recently re-opened Hillbrow, the former University of Brighton pool and fitness centre in Meads.
But the report states that swimming lessons, school swimming, and structured sessions such as lane swimming will be protected from cuts.
Reductions in funding to the Towner gallery is forecast to save £100,000. The immediate closure of the Beachy Head Story exhibition space on the Downs is intended to save a total of £120,000 if approved.
The council says it may also rely on community groups to cover gaps in parks and gardens maintenance. A number of volunteer-run litter picking and gardening groups currently operate in parks such as Gildredge and Manor Gardens in the Old Town.
The report states: “We have received a number of complaints from the public with regards of [sic] the current provider of the service. We will deliver a targeted enhancement by focusing on core services (including working with community groups to explore jointly prioritised plans for key locations across the town).”
The grounds maintenance contractor idVerde, paid £70,000 a month according to council contract data, has been criticised here by volunteers for failing to empty bins for weeks at a time. The contract is due for renewal early in 2026.
The authority has repeatedly warned that the costs of homelessness and temporary accommodation are putting an unprecedented strain on council finances.
Potential savings
These are the cuts to services proposed by EBC to save £2.2m this year.
| SERVICE | SAVINGS TARGET 2024/25 |
| Corporate services review | £250,000 |
| Devonshire Quarter conference and catering | £500,000 |
| Theatres | £500,000 |
| Reduce council grants to voluntary organisations | £24,000 |
| Toilets | £200,000 |
| Sovereign Centre | £359,000 |
| Splash Pad, Princes Park | £25,000 |
| Tourism events | £80,000 |
| Town Hall | £44,000 |
| Waste/street cleansing | £228,000 |
| TOTAL | £2,210,000 |
Financial challenge
Council leader Stephen Holt has led a national campaign calling for government support. He said last week in a statement: “I am saddened and frustrated that we are forced to make such painful savings. The savings proposed have been or are being repeated in other authorities across the UK, all reflecting the lack of support given to councils by the previous government.
“When I made it clear that unavoidable savings were needed, the new government issued a statement acknowledging the financial challenges that homelessness is causing many local authorities, including Eastbourne, and said it would take action to tackle these issues.”
The Cabinet meeting to discuss the proposed cuts is at 6pm on Wednesday, Setpember 18, at the Town Hall and will be available online. The agenda is here.
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