ELECTION: Labour retains control of Hastings council

Voters went to the polls yesterday (Thursday, May 3), with the count being held today (Friday, May 4) at Horntye Park Sports Complex.

Long-standing councillors from both Labour and the Conservatives were re-elected in their respective wards and both parties saw new people elected.

Among those newly-elected from Labour include Maya Evans, a human rights campaigner, who represents Hollington ward, Leah Levane on Castle ward, and Antonia Berelson, who represents St Helens ward alongside fellow councillor Andy Batsford.

Among the Conservatives, new faces include Sorrell Marlow-Eastwood, representing Ashdown ward, and Karl Beaney, newly-elected in West St Leonards.

Cllr Evans said: “I feel so privileged to be elected to this position. I intend to work extremely hard for the people of Hollington and fight as hard as I can to improve their standard of life in the ward.”

Cllr Berelson, who beat Conservative candidate Martin Clarke in St Helens ward by just nine votes, said: “I work as a nurse at St Michael’s Hospice to ensure that patients have the best end-of-life care as possible. Making a difference, no matter how small, can mean a lot so I wanted to make a difference for the people in my ward.”

Cllr Berelson also works with the Syrian Resettlement Programme and with the homeless as an outreach nurse.

Cllr Levane said she decided to stand as a candidate in Castle ward because she was concerned over the ‘austerity agenda’ in this country and wanted the opportunity to be able to ‘create alternatives’ for the benefit of residents in her ward.

The 32 elected councillors on Hastings Borough Council are:

Ashdown:

Mike Edwards (Con)

Sorrell Marlow-Eastwood (Con)

Baird:

Warren Davies (Lab)

Mike Turner (Lab)

Braybrooke:

Sue Beaney (Lab)

Dominic Sabetian (Lab)

Castle:

Leah Levane (Lab)

Judy Rogers (Lab)

Central St Leonards:

Ruby Cox (Lab)

Trevor Webb (Lab)

Conquest:

Paul Foster (Con)

John Rankin (Con)

Gensing:

Colin Fitzgerald (Lab)

Kim Forward (Lab)

Hollington:

Paul Barnett (Lab)

Maya Evans (Lab)

Maze Hill:

Rob Lee (Con)

Andy Patmore (Con)

Old Hastings:

James Bacon (Lab)

Dany Louise (Lab)

Ore:

Andrew Battley (Lab)

Heather Bishop (Lab)

St Helens:

Andy Batsford (Lab)

Antonia Berelson (Lab)

Silverhill:

Margi O’Callaghan (Lab)

Nigel Colin Sinden (Lab)

Tressell:

Tania Charman (Lab)

Peter Chowney (Lab)

West St Leonards:

Karl Beaney (Con)

Matthew Beaver (Con)

Wishing Tree:

Alan Roberts (Lab)

Phil Scott (Lab)

For the full results, click here.