Latest News from Eastbourne Borough Council

Council tax rise restricted to 16p per week

Cabinet councillors at Eastbourne Borough Council have agreed a budget that will limit the council tax increase to just 16p per week.  This 2.99% increase for 2025/26 equates to an extra £8.30 a year for a Band D property.

The decision at Wednesday 12 February Cabinet meeting follows a thorough review of the council’s financial position as it continues to address the ‘massive challenge’ of tackling homelessness and providing temporary accommodation.

Councillor Daniel Butcher, Cabinet Member for Finance, said:

“Despite the great efforts of our officers to reduce the number of placements, which we’ve managed to bring down from their peak, our average spending on temporary accommodation continues to be around £4 million every year, which remains a massive challenge for this council and many others like it.

“We’re clearly making good progress on various fronts, including the homelessness crisis and its impact on the budget, but we know these numbers can fluctuate quickly, so there will be no let-up in our work in this area.”

The council has made significant strides in making savings and finding efficiencies through changes to the operation of some services – these savings total £7.612m over this current financial year and the next.

Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said:

“Residents will be aware that we had to make immediate in year savings to present a balanced budget due to increased demands and costs. As a result of this, we have found different ways of protecting and safeguarding services, whilst setting a balanced budget.

 “The chronic under-funding of local government by central government is shameful, but we are determined to maintain services for our residents. A prime example of this approach is the success of our community toilet scheme, which has been embraced by local businesses and organisations so that up to 27 public toilets will be available in 2025, compared to just 12 that were run by the council in 2024.”

Consultation on new system for housing allocations

Cabinet councillors at Eastbourne Borough Council have agreed to launch a consultation on proposals for a new approach to how council homes are allocated to residents on the housing register.

The current Choice Based Lettings (CBL) system involves people bidding for a property when it becomes available.  The bidding process takes two weeks from start to finish before applicants can be shortlisted.  However, for many years demand has far exceeded supply, with as many as four times the number of applicants on the register as there are annual lettings of properties. Many applicants spend years on the waiting list with little or no realistic prospect of an offer.

The CBL model also causes significant delays and administrative burdens for staff, with minimal evidence that it encourages applicants to broaden their areas of choice or improve their chances of being re-housed in council accommodation. In response, an independent review has recommended that the council develop a new policy.

Councillor Peter Diplock, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“I’m sure most people are aware that we have families on the housing register who wait far too long for a home.

“Property Match is designed to expedite the process and while not a complete solution to the deeply ingrained issues affecting social housing availability, we believe it represents a significant improvement.”

Property Match removes the bidding process and instead, empty properties are immediately offered to the best suited families and individuals on the housing register.  If adopted, applicants would continue to be prioritised into bands, with a registration date, as they are in the current CBL system.

The main difference is that it would no longer be necessary for people to place ‘bids’ online and wait to the end of a bidding cycle to see if they have been successful, meaning the whole process is sped up, which also reduces the amount of time it takes for a property to be re-let.

Councillor Diplock added:

“By helping match families to the right homes, we can ensure greater speed, clarity and better customer service for people waiting for somewhere to live. Property Match also allows applicants to state their location preferences and reject up to two offers without it affecting their standing on the register.”

For more information about how to take part in the consultation, please visit www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/consultations