As the dust settles on the 2019 general election, local pollsters Coastal Action have issued a press release saying they, "...once again correctly predicted the outcome" following on from their "previous success" in 2017. Coastal Action's poll for the Hastings and Rye constituency that was issued on December 5th put the Conservatives comfortably ahead and... Continue Reading →
Chowney: “Labour will not be eclipsed in Hastings & Rye”
'We will win again,' Labour's defeated General Election candidate Peter Chowney has told his supporters today. He says the campaign was, "...a humbling and heart-warming experience" and tell his them: "There is so much support for real change. There is compassion and commitment, and an implacable resolve. There is determination. There is hope." Mr Chowney... Continue Reading →
Conservatives win big in Hastings and Rye
Hastings' new Conservative MP says she is looking forward to focussing on the things that are important to the people in her constituency. Shortly after her victory was declared Sally-Ann Hart said: “I think we’ll get on with delivering Brexit and then we can move on and focus on the other issues that are equally... Continue Reading →
‘Come and see for yourselves’ – Ark extends invitation in wake of ‘off the scale’ comments by Labour
Leaders of the Ark Alexandra Academy say they 'don't recognise' a portrait of their school painted by Labour's general Election candidate Peter Chowney. Last week Mr Chowney told an audience at St Mary in the Castle, that included Labour's national leader Jeremy Corbyn: “I had a meeting today with a teacher from Ark Alexandra school.... Continue Reading →
Local pollster puts likelihood of a Conservative win in Hastings and Rye at 85 per cent
New polling by Coastal Action shows the Conservatives ahead in Hastings and Rye and the pollsters predict it's likely the Conservatives will hold the seat. But the poll confirms what the candidates have been saying when they spoke to Hastings In Focus over the weekend and that is that large numbers of voters are still... Continue Reading →
Hustings audience demands election candidates take the NHS ‘off the table’
Local residents in Hastings and Rye are demanding their General Election candidates take the NHS ‘off the table’ in a trade deal with the USA, by ending privatisation. Candidates from all parties standing in Hastings and Rye were asked to make the pledge at Station Plaza Health Centre on December 8th but only Labour’s Peter... Continue Reading →
The finish line is within sight but who will win in Hastings & Rye
This morning we publish three new audio tracks, conversations we've had over the weekend with the three main-party candidates standing in the General Election. None will stake a claim saying the parliamentary seat is theirs for the taking but listening to them carefully they confirm what national polls have been saying; that people are not... Continue Reading →
Huge cost and more questions than answers in Tory’s rail plan says Labour
Meeting a pledge to 'fast-track' local rail services would cost a Conservative government upwards of £20 billion according to Labour. Hastings In Focus reported earlier this week that fast-tracking fast trains to Hastings was going to be top of the list for an incoming Conservative government when Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, said... Continue Reading →
Memories of Jeremy Birch – pulling together the many voices of Hastings
Next year will mark the fifth anniversary of the sudden and unexpected death of Hastings Borough Council's then leader Jeremy Birch. To mark the milestone his partner, Louise Carlyle, is asking the public for their contributions to a book she is planning to compile. “Next year it will be five years – half a decade... Continue Reading →