The council year 2023/24 saw a host of achievements to be proud of by Conservative-led East Sussex County Council.
Conservative Leader of the council, Cllr Keith Glazier, said: ”Local Government is a challenging place to be, but, while other local authorities are cutting services, Conservative-run East Sussex through prudent budgeting, effective lobbying of central government, and razor-sharp focus on its key priorities, has continued to deliver quality services, attract grants and investment, while deploying where possible additional resources to meet local challenges.”
Among the year's highlights are ...
Highways
- New, improved maintenance contractor, Balfour Beatty Living Places, appointed to get the county moving.
- Massive funding boost to the highways budget: a £15.7 million injection, with Highways maintenance spending doubled vs 2020/21.
- £2.5 million for road patching; £3.1 million for better drainage and road repairs.
- Over 70 road improvement schemes completed across the county.
- More than 130 patch works at 62 sites in East Sussex.
- Some 150 local drainage improvement schemes completed.
Transport
- Bus Service Improvement Plan underway across the county.
- Reduced price bus tickets meaning cheaper journeys.
- Improvements to Bus Stops, including timetable and running time QR codes.
- More buses as part of £10.5-million boost to East Sussex bus services.
- Introduction of Flexibus, covering 90% of the county and carrying 10,000 passengers.
- Local Transport Plan consultation launched, looking ahead to 2025.
- £1.22 million from Active Travel England to encourage activity and reduce emissions.
- Completing 15 new road safety schemes.
- Bikeability courses for over 3,700 cyclists.
People & Places
- Ultra-fast Gigabit broadband extended to 67% of the county.
- Hosting the new Southeast Grid network, providing Gigabit connection countrywide.
- Turner Prize exhibition opened at Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, showcasing East Sussex.
- Sussex Wine Tourism Plan for Growth launched with Sussex Modern to boost county's growing wine sector.
Opportunities
- Open Doors workplace visits across the county were undertaken by over 1,000 school students.
- Some 220 Industry Champions supported students to gain workplace experience.
- East Sussex Careers Hub hosted 'What's Next?' to connect students with experts and employers.
- Youth Employability Service re-commissioned to support young people Not in Education, Employment or Training.
- Family Learning Programmes welcomed over 1,600 people at East Sussex Libraries.
- East Sussex has committed over £1 million to boost apprenticeships in small and medium-sized local businesses.
Supporting the vulnerable
- East Sussex's Children's Services received glowing report from Ofsted inspection.
- Meeting the rising need for children's social care in the county.
- Coping with increasing complexity of needs.
- New Adult Social Care Strategy 'What Matters to You' launched with six priorities.
- Delivering largest yet Holiday Activity and Food programme over the summer for 4,200 children in 21,000 sessions.
- Working with 14 providers to grow Special Educational Need element of the HAF Programme.
- New scheme to support children with poor primary school attendance with transition to secondary education.
- An active Trading Standards department who intervened in 1.800 cases to protect consumers.
- Overseeing 1,762 refugees from Ukraine and their 812 hosts.
There for people
- Opening 11 Family Hubs across the county from Peacehaven to Hastings.
- Investing £7 million in new youth facilities in Heathfield and Peacehaven.
- Helping those regaining mobility and daily-living skills.
- A five-year plan to Integrate heath and social care through integrated community teams, beginning in Hastings.
- Launching the online Tribe Project to link volunteers with opportunities across the county.
- An external funding team to help secure £389,361 in funding for local groups and the social enterprise sector.
- Summer Reading Challenge staged in East Sussex libraries to encourage over 7,000 children to enjoy books.
A top-class council
- £538-million net budget approved for 2024/5 with no new cuts to services.
- Highly rated and "well-run, well-managed" in peer-review inspection by Local Government Authority.
- Continuing to work with partners and agencies to deliver carbon reduction and Climate Change Plan.
- £245,000 towards training to reduce carbon emissions at domestic properties.
- £4.4 million towards electric vehicle charging points in over 280 locations across the county.
- £300,000 of Forestry Commission funding on tree planting.
- Making council-owned buildings more energy efficient with LED and solar installation.
- Spending £307 million with 853 local suppliers to support East Sussex businesses.
- East Sussex Pension Fund team beat all other local authorities to win the LAPFI Governance Award .
