New leader of Hastings Borough Council names cabinet members

Last Wednesday (January 17), Hastings councillors voted for the Green Party’s Julia Hilton to become the council’s “interim” leader until the next round of local elections in May.

On Sunday (January 21), Cllr Hilton released the names of the four councillors who will join her in holding cabinet portfolios. They include three members of the Hastings Independents, the group of former labour councillors who made up the previous cabinet.

In addition to being leader, Cllr Hilton will hold a cabinet portfolio for regeneration, culture, tourism, climate action and governance. Her fellow Green Party councillor, Glenn Haffenden, will be portfolio holder for environment, community safety, HR, health and equalities, as well as deputy leader.

The three remaining cabinet positions will be held by members of the Hastings Independents. Former council leader Paul Barnett will reprise his role as portfolio holder for finance, while Cllr Simon Willis will do the same for his previously-held housing portfolio.

Cllr Ali Roark will take over as the new chair of the council’s charity committee, a role which includes responsibility for the Foreshore Trust.

In a statement released alongside the announcement, a spokesperson for the new cabinet said both political groups had felt “it was particularly important to maintain continuity in who held the housing and finance portfolios”.

The statement also announced plans to set up new “committees of cabinet”, a move Cllr Hilton said is intended to “move the council away from a centralised cabinet-based model of governance.”

These four new committees, which will not have direct decision-making powers, will be focused on: the Local Plan; tourism and festivals; cultural assets; and climate action.

Green Party councillors are expected to chair the Local Plan and climate action committees, while a Hastings Independent councillor will be expected to chair the tourism and festivals committee (which will be tasked with looking at possible replacements for the Visit 1066 Country brand among other things).

Chairmanship of the cultural assets committee is expected to be offered to a councillor from another political group. Its responsibilities will include overview of the Castle project, St Mary in the Castle, the White Rock Theatre transition and Hastings Museum.

Further details will be announced at the full council meeting this Wednesday (January 24).