Two swimming pools will close and public toilets be run by local businesses as part of savings plans agreed by Eastbourne councillors yesterday.
Eastbourne Borough Council cabinet members agreed to move ahead with a series of savings proposals to address “exceptional financial challenges”.
The council says its total programme of in-year savings would come to £3.37 million in 2024/25.
In a statement released after the meeting, council leader Stephen Holt (Lib Dem) said: “I came into politics to protect the public services and the decisions we have made tonight have been incredibly challenging.
“I’d like to thank those residents, businesses and groups that have engaged with us as we have addressed the financial challenges due to years of underfunding from national government.”
The agreed savings include plans to close two of the three swimming pools currently operational at The Sovereign Centre, ahead of its planned transfer to Wave Active next year.
The swimming pool closures have proven to be controversial, with more than 5,750 people signing a petition opposing the proposal.
Also controversial were plans to change the way the town’s public toilets are run.
The proposal involves the creation of the Eastbourne Community Toilet Scheme — a project through which will see the council attempt to find local businesses and community groups to either take on the operation of public conveniences or offer up their own facilities for public use.
The council says the scheme would “safeguard” public toilets within the town, while also reducing costs. But critics say the scheme leaves such facilities facing an uncertain future.
Critics included Dennis Scard, of the Meads Community Association, who spoke before cabinet members made their decision. He said: “We are asking you at this meeting to postpone the decision on the toilets until such time that you know what the scheme actually means; who is actually signed up to it, where they are going to be and what hours they are.
“We are not against community toilets, but we are against them in substitution for the public toilets we have.”
As part of their decision, cabinet members committed the council to continue running three of its current public toilets at the bandstand, Holywell and the pier. Cabinet members also heard how the council was in “advanced negotiations” with operators looking to take on the running of seven of the council’s other nine public toilet blocks.
This process could also see the reopening of two previously closed public toilets in High Gardens and Gildredge Park, officers said.
Other savings include: cutting customer contact hours; finding alternative uses of the town hall building; seeking sponsors for the Splash Pad; and reducing the grants of a range of voluntary and community organisations.
Significant changes are also in store for the council’s street cleansing and grounds maintenance works. As part of these changes, the council will hand back responsibility for weeding and verge cutting to East Sussex County Council from April 2025.
The council also intends to increase its car parking charges for the first time in eight years and to increase the hours of operation in all of its off-street car parks. It is currently unclear what income this change would bring.
Cllr Holt declared a prejudicial interest in this element of the proposals, so did not vote on or take part in that part of the discussion.
In a report to cabinet, a council spokesman said the frontline savings had become ‘unavoidable’ as result of the council’s financial pressures. These, the report said, included the council’s rising housing costs, including a £4.5 million annual spend on temporary accommodation.
Conservative councillors put the emphasis on another element of the council’s finances — the amount it pays towards debts.
Cllr David Small said: “There is a huge amount I could say on just how sorry the whole situation with our finances are and how much residents will suffer due the mistakes this council has made, which have led to the cuts I’m sure you will be passing this evening.
“I have been making all these points since I was first elected 18 months ago and many have been saying it for years.
“I could say them all again and I am sure, Cllr Holt, you will come back and say it is all the last government’s fault and nothing to do with the fact that this council has spent nearly £200 million to spend on what has proven to be loss-making projects.”
Similar views were shared by Conservative group leader Robert Smart and shadow cabinet member Ksharma Shore.
A similar view was shouted from the public gallery, which resulted in the meeting being briefly paused.
Responding to the criticism around debt, Cllr Holt said: “My view — and I appreciate this isn’t shared — is that it was investment and regeneration for the town.
“When you have a situation where the finance of an authority is stretched and we’ve accepted always has been, then we have to borrow to make improvements to certain facilities and certain buildings — for example The Congress Theatre, for example the Bandstand, for example the seafront lighting, for example our housing supply — because we do not have the day-to-day money to make those improvements.
“I understand the debt has increased, it is really important that we manage that and that we reduce that and that is part of our plans going forward.”
