Eastbourne Borough Council approves immediate funding cuts
The authority's leader has attacked the government for failing to provide temporary accommodation support
The leader of Eastbourne Borough Council has said cuts being made to services as part of efforts to balance its budget are 'regrettable'.
Stephen Holt has criticised the previous government for 'leaving public services on life support' after failing to heed the strain placed on local authority budgets from costs on providing temporary accommodation and homeless services.
Councillors approved savings of £2.7 million in the upcoming year at a meeting on Wednesday night (September 18th).
It means the Beachy Head story heritage centre will be closed, a reduction of £100,000 in funding for the Towner Art Gallery and cuts to events and seafront spending.
Cllr Holt said:
"The warnings I have shared over the last 12 months about temporary accommodation have been ignored by government and the result of their inaction are these deeply regrettable cuts.
"The cost of living crisis has made rent and mortgage payments unaffordable for many, meaning 200 children are sleeping in temporary accommodation in Eastbourne tonight, a shameful fact that I hope will motivate the new government to take action and take it now.
"Even this week, Shelter reported that one in 28 children homeless in Hastings currently live in temporary accommodation.
"This is a national crisis, and national government needs to act urgently so that we can continue to provide the services our residents expect, whilst supporting the most vulnerable."
The authority has already cut over £3 million from its budget for 2024/25.
Cabinet members are also set to consider a second round of cuts on November 13th.
This will include proposed changes to swimming provision at the Sovereign Centre, alternative arrangements for public conveniences, changes to rent support grants and council grants to voluntary and community organisations and increases in car parking charges.
The authority has pledged to carry out a full public consultation over these proposals.
Cllr Holt added:
"We had 158 councils join us for the first summit on homelessness and temporary accommodation and a cross-party group of council leaders joined me in Westminster in January to lobby government.
"While I'm furious that we are still to receive credible and meaningful support from government, I can assure residents that my fight will go on.
"I'm calling for an immediate uplift in the housing benefit subsidy we receive each time someone is placed in temporary accommodation, which remains frozen at 2011 rates, an end to no fault evictions and an end to the right to buy policy.
"These changes wouldn't remove the need for immediate savings, but they would improve the outlook for councils and the social housing sector more widely."