Hastings Green Party

14/10/2026

Happy Hastings Day! 🌿⚔️

960 years ago today, history was made on a hillside just outside our town, and Hastings has been making its own story ever since.

And what a year to be from Hastings. The Bayeux Tapestry, the Normans' own record of the battle, is back in England for the first time in over 900 years. 960 years on, everyone's still talking about us!

Everyone at Hastings Green Party wishes you a brilliant Hastings Day - thanks for everything you do that makes this town what it is. 💚

There's still plenty more happening for Hastings Week 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/koseo3oktv

09/10/2026

Greens are listening to Hastings' local businesses, working to improve safety, reduce harm and tackle business crime:

Support for local businesses regarding crime -

This week I attended an event hosted by Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce for local businesses with Hastings Borough Council and Hastings Police to discuss crime.

I was able to directly ask the police issues around crime, reporting and feeling vulnerable that St Leonards businesses have shared with me, as well as get updates on open St Leonards cases.

What I learnt the most is the importance of reporting - even when it feels like it doesn't do anything. It creates ongoing patterns for the police to act upon. We have a scheme in Hastings - DISC who work in partnership with the police to help this, who shared some of their successes in helping businesses with crime. Details below -

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Key points from this meeting (as shared by HACC):

➡️ In an emergency, or if you are facing an issue in the moment, don't hesitate to call 999. For non-emergencies, call 101.
➡️ It may feel like nothing comes of reporting an incident, but it remains the best course of action. Reports help identify areas where increased patrols may be needed.
➡️ Businesses with physical premises can apply to join the Disc scheme, a business-led local intelligence-sharing platform that aims to reduce crime in Hastings: https://www.disc-net.org/hastings
➡️ Our Councillor Becca Horn shared that Hastings Borough Council's Community Safety Team will be introducing the Safer Hastings Business Forum in November. For more information, please email [email protected].

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✨Please share this info with other local businesses.

📆This was the first event of its kind, the next will be 10th Nov - join the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce mailing list to get the deets.
Hastings Green Party

09/10/2026

A JOINT STATEMENT FROM HASTINGS GREEN COUNCILLORS

The recent Green Party conference vote on the motion ‘Zionism Is Racism’ has understandably prompted strong feelings and discussion, both within the Green Party and in our community here in Hastings.

As Hastings’ Green councillors, we’ve taken time to reflect upon the differing and shared views held within our group, our members, and our residents who have contacted us. It’s clear to us that there is more common ground than the headlines might suggest.

We are resolute that Jewish people, Muslim people and people of all faiths, and none, are welcome here. Hastings is a town of sanctuary, diversity and inclusivity. We unequivocally condemn violence, threats, intimidation, hatred and all forms of prejudice including antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism. Our commitment to a Hastings where everyone feels safe, valued and heard is locked in to our council’s Corporate Plan.

We are equally resolved that antisemitism and anti-Zionism are not the same thing, and that it is dangerous and damaging to conflate them. There are both Jewish and non-Jewish Zionists and anti-Zionists. Jewish people themselves hold diverse views on Zionism, with some understanding it as closely connected to their identity, history and security, and others firmly opposing it.

We recognise this diversity and we will never assume anyone’s political beliefs nor exclude anyone because of their faith, heritage or where they worship.

Finally, we are united in our solidarity with the people of Palestine. Greens are not afraid to call their suffering what it is: a genocide. An ethnic cleansing of a race of people. These illegal acts have been carried out by the Israeli government presiding over an apartheid state. These acts are, by definition, racist.

The UN estimates 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. That’s the same number as the entire population of Hastings’ young people under 19.

We will never stop calling out this atrocity.

Hastings Greens firmly believe in the rights of the Palestinian and Israeli people to determine what a peaceful settled future might look like for themselves and advocate for the strongest pursuit of peace via non-violent means. We stand with our leader, Zack Polanski, and all our Green MPs who are calling upon Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband to commit to full, meaningful sanctions on Israel and an end to all arms sales now.

02/10/2026

"Irresponsible".

"Out of touch."

"Economically illiterate."

Reform in East Sussex's latest madness:

REFORM WANT TO SCRAP NET ZERO TARGETS FOR EAST SUSSEX

Despite a record summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Reform leaders at East Sussex County Council are proposing to reverse the council’s Climate Emergency Declaration and scrap net zero targets.

Green Councillor Christina Coleman says, “Reform are out-of-touch. 85% of the public are concerned about climate change and want politicians to take bolder action.

“Investing in locally generated renewable energy for council buildings is good for the planet and our pockets, as well as making us more secure. Yet Reform say they’ll replace failing fossil fuel components such as old oil boilers with more oil boilers, locking us into fossil fuel dependency for decades to come. This is economic illiteracy in the face of increasingly volatile oil and gas prices.”

Greens are questioning how Reform can reconcile cutting investment in solar panels when schools in East Sussex - many still reliant on fossil fuels - are having to choose between hiring teachers and maintenance staff or paying their energy bills.

Green Councillor Shaun Dowling says, “Head teachers are desperate for solar. Reform’s ideological position is short-changing our children.”

Conservatives showed support for the move, claiming that the UK only contributes 1% of global emissions, but Greens pointed out that the UK doesn't count its international aviation, shipping and imported goods emissions.

Cllr Coleman adds, “You can’t compare our emissions to China or India without considering that we’re the ones buying what these countries make.”

Cllr Wendy Maples explains, “The climate crisis is here. We are already at 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels. The Government is warning us to stockpile food. We’ve got failing critical infrastructure, supply chain disruption, threats to national security and a choking economy.

“We are due to reach 2.5 degrees by 2050, which would likely be an unliveable planet. In this context it is utterly irresponsible to carry on ‘business as usual’. Clean, green, localised energy will attract funding, create local jobs, secure our energy supply, protect our environment and give us a prosperous, liveable future.”

Despite being in the sunniest region of the UK, East Sussex has a poor adoption of solar panels compared to neighbouring West Sussex. Cllr Maples adds, “I’m sure there are some Reform councillors thinking they didn’t sign up to keep East Sussex in the dark ages, but the Reform leadership seems determined to do just that.”

30/09/2026

Our Green Councillors and members were out in solidarity this Saturday for the Unity Parade 🎉 ✊ 💚

Huge crowds gathered at Warrior Square, paraded with love and celebration along our seafront to the town centre where Cllr Solly Solamito MC'd a fab line-up of speakers and local artists (📸 5 credit: on Instagram)

Huge thanks to all the organisers and groups who took part.

Love trumps hate every time. 💚💪💕

23/09/2026

Hastings Green Party condemns the intimidation and targeting of lifeboat crews.

Deputy Leader and Old Hastings Cllr, Julia Hilton, said:

“As a coastal town, we are immensely proud of our volunteer lifeboat crews and their 200-year commitment to saving anyone in distress at sea.

"We are absolutely appalled that brave RNLI volunteers have been targeted with harassment, intimidation and abuse. These are people who drop everything to go into dangerous waters and save lives. They deserve nothing but our support and respect."

The English Channel is a dangerous stretch of water. The answer is not to pursue boats, inflame tensions or deliberately whip up hatred against the volunteers and humanitarian workers who are trying to save lives.

There is no excuse for turning lifesavers into political targets. We will not stand by while volunteers who put their lives on the line to save others are intimidated for doing their duty.

Julia added, "We urge the police to act swiftly and robustly against those responsible.”

08/09/2026

The announcement to pause local government reorganisation is a whole new level of incompetence by this Labour Government. 🤯

The chaos is a result of Government not listening to local voices.

Green council leader, Glenn Haffenden is calling upon our MP Helena Dollimore for Hastings and Rye to:

💰Fight for a proper, long-term funding settlement for local government (no more breadcrumbs!)

🚫 Call for an end to the continuation of austerity

✅ Work with Hastings Borough Council to deliver our programme of transformation for Hastings.

Let's get back to a place where we can deliver the change we all want at pace - with proper funding of services.

02/09/2026

We're so proud of our Councillor Julia Hilton and Councillor Yunis Smith representing Hastings on LGA Committees in Westminster 💚

As Yunis so eloquently puts it, this is about having strong Green voices in the room to help shape the policies of the future.

So needed and another example of how hard our councillors are working for Hastings ✊💚