Issues and SWOT: Hastings

strength

Connect the town’s heritage investments

The castle and lift projects have an explicit shared destination aim.

Coordination can improve the whole visit and local access.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £1,007 a month (August 2026) in Hastings council area. This is £452 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 12.4% in St Helens to 52.7% in Central St Leonards — a gap of 40.3 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Make access and reliability part of restoration

The lift project aims to improve accessibility and reliability.

A heritage attraction also needs dependable practical access.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7.3% of people reported bad or very bad health in Hastings council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 4.7% in Conquest to 9.9% in Wishing Tree — a gap of 5.2 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Translate new staffing budgets into local improvements

The budget funds neighbourhood and anti-poverty roles.

Residents should see clearer help and cleaner, safer places.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.2% of people in Hastings council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.4% in Tressell to 34.4% in St Helens — a gap of 22 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

28.6% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Hastings council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 16.1% in Old Hastings to 26.3% in Hollington — a gap of 10.3 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Hastings council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 13.2% in Conquest to 33.5% in Hollington — a gap of 20.3 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Do not assume the lift’s full funding is secured

Only development support has been awarded so far.

The wider visitor plan depends on a later funding decision.

Evidence