"The money was not just for Hastings" - Cllr defends Hastings hand-out

Leader of Rother District Council Carl Maynard has refused to pay it back, saying Sidley Goods Yard will benefit people in Hastings as well as Bexhill.

As reported in the Observer last week, Hastings Borough Council agreed to hand over 250,000 to help fund plans to make a business development at Sidley Goods Yard more eco-friendly.

This led to criticism from opposition councillors who said the money would have been better spent on funding work placements for unemployed young people in Hastings.

New figures out this week put Hastings in the top ten for towns and cities in England as far as youth unemployment is concerned.

More than eight per cent of people aged between 16 and 25 in Hastings are jobless and on benefits, compared to just 1.8 per cent before the recession - making it the 9th worst hit town in the country.

The figures, released on Monday, further stoked the fire over the cash hand out, with Hastings MP Michael Foster calling for RDC to return the 250,000.

He said: "That cash should not be passed on to areas with lesser problems, especially when the global downturn continues to impact on the town.

"Whatever the legal technicalities handing over 250,000 was a foolish decision and I'm calling on Rother to do the right thing and give it back."

Carl Maynard, leader of Rother District Council, said the money would not be coming back, but that it would still be helping people in the Hastings area.

He told the Observer: "This money came as part of a Local Enterprise Growth Initiative and was not necessarily money meant just for Hastings.

"We at Rother have consistently supported the regeneration of Hastings, whether through lobbying or working in partnership with the council there, resulting in some 400million of investment in the area.

"We have the belief that if something is in Hastings it is within the Rother travel to work area. If it is in Hastings it has the potential to benefit the people of Rother as well. Likewise, the work at Sidley Goods Yard could open up opportunities for new businesses from Hastings and jobs for people from the town.

"In this difficult economic climate and with the link road on its way, we must work together to use our resources."

Mr Foster said he was disappointed at the number of jobless young people, but pointed out the figure of nearly one in 10 was still fewer than were out of work in 1993 during the last economic slump of this magnitude.

However, he admitted: "Every jobless youngster is a loss of potential."