# Hastings Borough Council

Hastings Borough Council is the local authority for Hastings in East Sussex, England. Hastings has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974, Hastings has been a non-metropolitan district with borough status.
The council has been under no overall control since 2022. Following the 2024 election a Green Party minority administration formed to run the council. The council is based at Muriel Matters House on the seafront.

## History

Hastings was an ancient borough. It was given the right to appoint a mayor in 1589. It was reformed in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Hastings", generally known as the corporation or town council. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 it was decided that Hastings was sufficiently large to provide its own county-level services and so it was made a county borough, independent from East Sussex County Council.
On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the borough became a non-metropolitan district within the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, giving East Sussex County Council jurisdiction over the town as a higher-tier authority for the first time. Hastings kept its borough status, allowing the council to take the name Hastings Borough Council and letting the chair of the council take the title of mayor, continuing Hastings' series of mayors dating back to 1589.

## Governance

Hastings Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by East Sussex County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.

### Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2022 election. A Labour and Green coalition formed after that election, but separated five months later in October 2022, after which Labour ran the council as a minority administration.
In December 2023, six Labour councillors — including the Leader and Deputy Leader — resigned the party in protest at Keir Starmer's leadership and formed a new group, the Hastings Independents. Over the following week, they were joined by two more Labour councillors. The group has criticised the national party's 'micromanaging' of local elections, and its position on the Israel–Hamas war. In January 2024 a new administration comprising the Greens and the former Labour councillors took over the council, led by Green councillor Julia Hilton.
Following the 2024 election a Green Party minority administration was formed.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1976 |
| Conservative | 1976–1980 |
| No overall control | 1980–1996 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1996–1998 |
| Labour | 1998–2004 |
| No overall control | 2004–2006 |
| Conservative | 2006–2007 |
| No overall control | 2007–2010 |
| Labour | 2010–2022 |
| No overall control | 2022–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Hastings. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2001 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Jeremy Birch | Labour | 2001 | May 2006 |
| Peter Pragnell | Conservative | 17 May 2006 | 19 May 2010 |
| Jeremy Birch | Labour | 19 May 2010 | 6 May 2015 |
| Peter Chowney | Labour | 20 May 2015 | 18 Mar 2020 |
| Kim Forward | Labour | 18 Mar 2020 | 13 Apr 2022 |
| Paul Barnett | Labour | 13 Apr 2022 | 14 Dec 2023 |
| Paul Barnett | Independent | 14 Dec 2023 | 17 Jan 2024 |
| Julia Hilton | Green | 17 Jan 2024 | |

### Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Green | 12 |
| | Labour | 8 |
| | Independent | 7 |
| | Conservative | 5 |
| Total | Total | 32 |
Six of the independent councillors (all of whom were originally elected as Labour before leaving the party) sit together as the "Hastings Independent Group". The next election is due in 2026.

## Premises

The council is based at a modern office building called Muriel Matters House on Breeds Place, overlooking the seafront.
The council was previously based at the Town Hall on Queens Road, which had been built in 1881. The council met and had its offices at Town Hall until 2012. Most of the council's offices then moved to Aquila House on Breeds Place, which the council initially rented. In 2016 the council purchased Aquila House, renamed it Muriel Matters House after Muriel Matters (1877–1969) who had lived in the town, and created a new council chamber in the building.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 32 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. Elections are held in alternate years, with half the council (one councillor for each ward) being elected each time for a four-year term of office.