SPOTLIGHT: Liberal Democrat police and crime commissioner candidate
By Sarah Booker-Lewis, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter Below are the responses from Liberal Democrat candidate Jamie Bennett, 34, a hotel manager who tweets as @JamieBen120689. He is pictured above. What difference will you make if you are elected? Liberal Democrats believe the post of PCC should be abolished but, until we are in a position […]
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SPOTLIGHT: An artist’s view of the Turner Prize legacy
The arrival of the prestigious Turner Prize in Eastbourne attracted worldwide attention and drew thousands of visitors to see the work of four artists at the Towner gallery. But beyond the whirl of activity and the televised prize ceremony, there have been projects involving the people of Eastbourne running quietly in the background. One of […]
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SPOTLIGHT: East Sussex pothole reports double
Reports by residents of potholes in East Sussex more than doubled last year. In figures released in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, East Sussex County Council said it received 26,309 reports of potholes and other carriageway defects in 2022/23. This was more than double the previous financial year (2021/22), which […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Top East Sussex council pay packets revealed
The latest Town Hall Rich List has been published, showing how many council employees received more than £100,000 in 2022/23. Collated by The TaxPayers’ Alliance, the figures showed that 73 employees of councils across East and West Sussex – not including Brighton & Hove – took home more than £100,000 in salary, pension and other expenses. […]
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SPOTLIGHT: The fight for an appointment at the Victoria Medical Centre
When Shereen Soliman’s mother-in-law was staying with her in Staffordshire, she wanted to see her own doctor in Eastbourne at the Victoria Medical Centre (VMC) about her chronic lung condition. So Shereen, 39, drove her mother-in-law, who wants to remain anonymous, 230 miles back to the East Sussex coast, only to find she could not get […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Harbour flats plan sent back to the drawing board
The developer of a controversial seven-storey development of around 130 retirement seaside apartments must make changes to secure planning permission. Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee voted unanimously in a show of cross-party unity last night to defer the planning application for a site on the western edge of Sovereign Harbour. The main points of contention […]
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SPOTLIGHT: “We lost £150,000 in funding because of two-year council delay”
A sports coach working to upgrade facilities in a park has said a delay of two years by Eastbourne Borough Council in agreeing an important lease meant the project missed out on £150,000 in funding. Craig Wells first had the idea for a modest scheme which could transform the Old Town recreation ground during lockdown. He […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Job losses at Lightning Fibre under new owner
There will be redundancies at Eastbourne-based broadband operator Lightning Fibre as a result of its change of ownership. The firm, which has been sold to a company which invests in infrastructure projects, has about 200 full-time equivalent staff. A company spokesman told the Eastbourne Reporter: “We have changed our strategy to focus more on growing […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Steep paths at Sovereign Harbour create access problems
People using mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs face using steep, difficult-to-access paths when travelling around Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne. The Bay and Eastbourne Rollers friendship group, which meets for days out in the area, is concerned that members on wheels are at risk near the harbour’s locks. Harbour owner Premier Marinas recently cleared two areas […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Is the British Queen the most generous pub in Eastbourne?
It’s a cold, grey late winter midweek lunchtime but the bar at The British Queen pub on Willingdon Triangle is a welcome refuge for workers thirsty for a pint and friends dining and laughing. This very traditional pub has a relaxed atmosphere as people leave phones in their pockets and socialise, bantering with manager Angela […]
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