We have so many wonderful schools and colleges in Rother and I recently had the pleasure of a tour around the superb facilities at Bexhill 6th Form College.
Apart from boasting state-of-the-art facilities and amazing pass rates, I was really impressed by the environment the principal and her staff have created at the college.
High quality education is so important for the success of our district and it’s great to see the college thriving, and dedicated staff working so hard to support young people across Rother.
This week a consultation has launched that will give residents the opportunity to help reshape the way local services are delivered.
There has been a lot of talk about Local Government Reorganisation in recent months and the possibility of having a single council covering the whole of East Sussex rather than two councils – county and district, responsible for different services.
It would be a significant change and it’s so important that whatever route we take brings the greatest benefits to our residents and businesses.
We’ve worked closely with East Sussex County Council and the four other district and borough councils to draw up an interim plan for a single local authority for East Sussex’s 550,000 residents, and will need to submit detailed proposals to central Government in September.
It’s vital that we take into account the views of all our residents to ensure the final plan is the one that works best for our district, and I would urge everyone to tell us what they think by taking part in the consultation.
Any changes to local government must improve the lives of residents and communities, make the best use of our resources, boost local democracy, local identity, transparency, accessibility, local decision making and accountability and provide a stronger, unified voice to help attract investment and tackle priorities.
The consultation will run until Monday, June 23 and is available to complete online at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EastSussexLGR/
As a council we have a responsibility to deliver value for money for our residents but there are times when our decisions need to give greater consideration to value we can add to a community.
On Monday, Cabinet were tasked with selecting an organisation to lease the empty Egerton Park Bowls Pavilion. We had a number of bids that would add to the community in one way or another, including a nursery, coffee shop and restaurant.
After careful consideration, Cabinet decided to grant the lease to an organisation proposing to use the building as a hub offering support to neurodivergent children and their families.
It’s great that we will be able to support an organisation that offers vital support to children with special educational needs and their families, and I look forward to seeing how they transform the pavilion.
Ends.
Published: 16th May 2025
