Full Council, Wed 23 Sep 2026, Hastings Borough Council
Questions from Councillors under Rule 12
Noted · Received for information; no decision followed.
Asked about fly-tipping, Councillor Horn said the Council combines public messaging on using registered waste carriers, encouraging residents to report incidents, enforcement against repeat offenders, and accessible disposal options such as the Household Waste Recycling Site and a bulky waste collection service, to tackle the causes of fly-tipping and reduce recurring incidents. p7p8p9
Asked how often waste carriers in Hastings are checked for compliance, Councillor Horn said waste carriers are licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency rather than the Borough Council, so the Council does not carry out compliance inspections or take enforcement action relating to waste carrier licensing. p11
Asked whether unspent Disability Facilities Grant funding could be used to benefit disabled people in the town, Councillor Mackenzie said the funding is for home adaptations or, under the Council's discretionary policy, activity supporting applicants living in a suitably adapted property. p14p16
Asked about the local government finance settlement, Councillor Mackenzie said Hastings' Fair Funding allocation increased by 9.1% in 2026-27, offset by a 46.6% reduction in the Homelessness Grant and a full reduction in grants rolled into the Revenue Support Grant, resulting in no overall change in Core Spending Power that year. p24
Councillor Mackenzie added that Fair Funding is forecast to increase by 8% in 2027-28 and a further 4.7% in 2028-29, taking the cumulative increase in Core Spending Power to 15.6% between 2024-25 and 2028-29, though the 2027-28 and 2028-29 allocations are subject to confirmation. p25p26p27
Show the 10 passages this is based on
- p7Councillor Horn: The Council is taking a number of actions to address the underlying causes of recurring fly tipping. We regularly provide information and public messaging about fly-tipping enforcement, as well as advice on the importance of using registered waste carriers when paying someone to remove rubbish from a property. This helps reduce the risk of waste being illegally dumped.
- p8We also encourage members of the public to report incidents of fly tipping so that we can investigate, identify those responsible, and take appropriate enforcement action against repeat offenders. In addition, residents have access to legal and convenient disposal options. Large household items can be taken to the Household Waste Recycling Site (HWRS), where they can generally be disposed of free of charge. For those who are unable to transport items themselves, the Council also operates a bulky waste collection service.
- p9By combining education, enforcement, public reporting and accessible waste disposal services, we aim to tackle the causes of fly tipping and reduce recurring incidents.
- p11Councillor Horn: Waste carriers are licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency rather than the Borough Council. Consequently, the Council does not carry out compliance inspections of waste carriers and is not involved in enforcement action relating to waste carrier licensing. Any
- p144. Cllr Drew According to the Council cabinet agenda (agenda item 9, point 68) on the 07/09/26, the Council are planning to move the unspent Disability Funding Grant of £1,374,000 to the Capital Grants Unapplied account. Can the Council use these funds for something that would benefit disabled people around town? In a previous cabinet meeting a Hastings resident has asked for disabled wheelchair access to the sea Councillor Mackenzie:
- p16In terms of funding wider projects in the town, DFG funding is for home adaptations or via our discretionary policy, activity that supports applicants living in a suitably adapted property. Again a link you may find useful in the response will be to our financial assistance policy. https://www.hastings.gov.uk/housing/improvement/housing_renewal_f inancial_assistance/ Local authorities are encouraged to consider the level of demand for adaptations locally, and use this freedom only to fund wider projects which are likely to reduce overall demand for DFGs, so that more people can receive the adaptations that they need.
- p24Councillor Mackenzie: In 2026–27, the Fair Funding allocation increased by 9.1% which was offset by a 46.6% reduction in the Homelessness Grant and a 100% decrease in grants rolled into the Revenue Support Grant, resulting in no overall change in Core Spending Power.
- p25In 2027–28, Fair Funding is forecast to increase by 8%, while the Homelessness Grant reduces by 4.9%, resulting in a 2.3% increase in Core Spending Power.
- p26A further 4.7% increase is forecast for 2028–29, bringing the cumulative increase in Core Spending Power to 15.6% between 2024–25 and 2028–29.
- p27It is important to note the 2027-28 & 2028-29 allocations are subject to confirmation in respective years.