Image source, Claire Starr/BBC

Thank you for joining us.

We're finishing up our live coverage on the political landscape in Hastings and the issues concerning residents ahead of the general election.

We hope you have found our coverage from the seaside town informative, including the analysis from our political reporters.

Remember you can find more coverage about the general election on our website as we focus on what is happening in Kent, Sussex, and Surrey.

Image source, Chris Limb

John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings, says water issues are “at the forefront of peoples minds” heading into the election.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve seen two devastating floods and we’ve seen water completely cut off from the town for four days,” he said.

“It’s very tough times. We’re in the middle of a cost of living crisis which is causing untold problems for everybody.

“But that is exacerbated hugely when businesses find they’ve suddenly got a huge repair bill for floods, to replace lost stock or lost tens of thousands of pounds worth of trade over busy weekends.”

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Kexia Xu, who runs Hastings Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture Centre, says she wants to see more money being put into the NHS and a restructure of the healthcare system.

“Something should change," she said.

She also wants to see more jobs being created locally for younger people.

“Hastings is more for tourism - there’s not many other job opportunities,” she said.

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Alan McCrudden, who owns Fry's Vintage Clothing in Hastings, said: “We need a radical rethink on how this country runs.”

The business owner said if the country continued down the path it was on, there would be a “totally lost generation”.

“What has an 18-year-old got to look forward to at the moment apart from a lifetime of debt?” he asked.

Image source, Reform UK

Reform UK candidate for Hastings and Rye Lucian Fernando said he "firmly" believed essential services, like water and sewage, should not be "in the hands of private companies driven by profit".

He added: “This vital public resource should be managed with the communities' best interests at heart.

"That is why I advocate for the renationalisation of our water systems.

“By bringing these services back under public control, we can ensure greater accountability and better maintenance.”

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Teresa Willis, 57, said her political priorities were the NHS, the benefits system, taxes and social care.

In regards to local concerns, the Hastings resident said: "I just feel sometimes we’re looked at as second best when there’s things happening.”

She said there was "no future foresight" when it came to improving parts of the town.

Regeneration of the town centre could also help “bring a few more people in”, she added.

Image source, Nicholas Davies

Public transport, Royal Mail, water and energy sectors should be brought back into public ownership and democratic control, the Communist Party of Britain says.

“We know from experience that the privatised Southern Water company has failed miserably,” candidate Nicholas Davies said.

He said it was time to "stop paying dividends and exorbitant bonuses" to company bosses and to "run these services for the good of all".

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

St Leonards resident Joe Loftus, 29, said his biggest concern was the housing market.

The father-of-one said: “The main priority I think is housing at the moment. It’s too expensive at the minute, it’s getting out of control.”

The dumping of sewage into the sea is also a concern, he added.

The Green Party is calling for water companies to be renationalised.

“In Hastings and Rye, we’ve seen increased dumping of sewage into our waters, year on year,” candidate Becca Horn said.

“The Green Party would bring water back into public ownership, where it belongs.”

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Chris Green, 62, wants to see a “positive outlook” on immigration, including support for those coming into the UK.

He said: “I think that will help Britain develop because there’s not enough young people really and certainly not enough young people that want to get down to it and work."

The deadline to register to vote is 23:59 on Tuesday 18 June.

Registering only takes about five minutes if you do it online at the gov.uk website., external It’s the same whether you plan to vote in person at a polling station, by post, or through a proxy voter.

You'll need your National Insurance number or another form of ID, and current address details to hand. You can also register by sending a form to your local electoral office.

Students can be registered at both their home and term-time addresses, but can only vote in one place. Voting more than once in a general election is a criminal offence.

More information can be found here.

At the local election in May, 16 out of 32 seats were up for grabs at Hastings Borough Council.

The Green Party had nine councillors elected, up from one in 2021. Labour had five elected, down from seven, and the Conservatives had two, compared to eight at the 2021 local election.

Regulation has failed and water companies are prioritising profits, Workers Party of Britain candidate Phil Colley said.

Mr Colley also said the only answer to try clean up the area's seas and waterways was to renationalise the water companies.

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Brenda Davidson, 74, said she wanted to see the elderly and those with disabilities better supported.

"They want to do a little bit more for the elderly,” the Hastings Old Town resident said.

Ms Davidson, who also raised concerns about the cost of living and homelessness, explained that she wanted to see improvements to pavements so that they were safer for people who were older and those who used walking aids.

But she added: "Whoever gets in they don’t make much difference. You never know who to vote for."

Image source, Jacob Panons/BBC

Richard Martin, 41, was unsure which party would benefit him the most as a business owner but the Bar Moda owner was concerned about the look of the town.

He said: "It is very run-down. It definitely needs a boost of income to help regenerate the town and make it a bit more inviting, especially for tourists and anyone who does come."

Charlotte Wright
Political Editor, BBC South East

Image source, Getty Images

People in Hastings and St Leonards tell us it’s a town of three parts: St Leonards, the town centre and the Old Town.

Each has its own character and residents with their own concerns.

In St Leonards, we met a group of women who swim in the sea every morning. They want an end to the practice of releasing raw sewage into waterways when the sewers are overwhelmed.

“In this financial crisis, all we have is nature,” they said.

What's the point?

In the centre, outside the Priory Meadow shopping centre, the cost of living looms large.

One woman tells us she is living with a friend, unable to afford her own rent. She says the waiting lists for social housing are long.

Near the Old Town, the local fishing industry dominates the shoreline, we met a fisherman winching his boat onto the shingle. He’s been out since 3am, but hasn’t caught anything.

We ask to speak to him about the election, but he declined. “What’s the point?”, he said. “It won’t change anything”.

Over the next three weeks, it’s up to politicians to convince voters otherwise.

The Green Party has 12 councillors overall at Hastings Borough Council, Labour has eight, the Conservatives five, while seven are independent.

There is no party majority, although it was held by Labour ahead of the local election in May.

Image source, Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats announced they would abolish Ofwat, the current water regulator, and replace it with a clean water authority, that would have the power to revoke licences from polluting water companies, as well as stopping bonuses.

Lib Dem candidate Guy Harris said the party would introduce legally binding targets on discharges and good bathing water quality.

Image source, Charlotte Wright/BBC

Emma Muddle, founder of sea swimming group the St Leonards Mermaids, said: “There’s so many things that are wrong in the world and with this country and with this town.

"But because I am a swimmer and I love the sea, [my main concern] is the relentless dumping of raw sewage into our seas and rivers.

"Coming from a deprived town with a financial crisis, all we have is nature - that is free for us to go to. But people can’t even go to the beach because there’s sewage in the water,” she said.

Resident Lizzie Orr said: "I think we should tax the rich.

"My husband has a good job. He is quite happy to be taxed at a higher rate than he is at the moment because he wants the money to go into social services and where it’s required.

"I don’t think all wealthy people are opposed to paying taxes."