After many months of anticipation, we were delighted to receive funding from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund managed by Eastbourne Borough Council to purchase a community cargo bike. Having tested a number of different e-bikes at Get Bikery in Lewes (thanks to Matt Bird and Jamie Lloyd), we decided on a Tern GSD S10.
It felt very stable and simple to ride – equipped with a powerful Bosch electric motor and able to transport plenty in crates attached to the front and rear racks, plus two panniers. With match-funding from EEAN and Eastbourne Food Partnership CICs, we had enough in our budget to order a bright yellow one from elctrc at Brighton Marina.
Our new Tern GSD S10 loaded and ready to deliver Photo by Sam Powell
From Brighton Marina to Eastbourne
I collected the Tern one blustery morning – and thoroughly enjoyed putting it through its paces into a strong headwind along the seafront path (yes, there is a seafront cycle path in Brighton, like almost all British seaside towns). Then inland to Falmer and Lewes. Much of the ride was on dedicated cycle paths, separated from the traffic, which was excellent – and the Tern coped superbly on the hills.
Pausing at The Depot in Lewes, I spoke to Matt of Get Bikery about how they are managing their cargo bikes – and was joined by Councillor Andy Collins and EEAN’s Jill Shacklock. The onward ride to Polegate along the A27 shared cycle path was a joy – thanks to the “Turbo” mode. There was sufficient battery power to sail up Cooper’s Hill in Willingdon village, then negotiate the climb past Ocklynge School into Eastbourne’s Old Town.
Jill admires the Tern at The Depot, Lewes
Reducing food waste and carbon emissions
One of our priorities for the cargo bike project will be to support the distribution of food from local growers and community gardens and places with surplus food, such as supermarkets and hospitality outlets to food banks, community larders and kitchens. In all, the plan is to help reduce food waste and reduce food insecurity whilst reducing carbon emissions and air pollution in the local transport system.
Some of the food donated by generous stallholders Photo by Sam Powell
From farmer's market to community hub
The Tern’s first task was to transport surplus fruit, vegetables and baked goods from Eastbourne’s new Farmers Market to the Seaside Community Hub – quietly and easily achieved in about 10 minutes. Even with generous food donations from stallholders, a single trip was sufficient. The market takes place on the first Saturday morning of each month in front of Towner Art Gallery, and our cargo bike will be a regular fixture there.
Robert gets ready to roll Photo by Sam Powell
Get involved
Do get in touch if you’d be interested in volunteering to ride the Tern on some of these deliveries around town. It’s the first community-owned cargo bike in Eastbourne and hopefully it will inspire others to replace cars and vans for some “last-mile” deliveries – as seen in congested towns and cities across Europe.
For the first time, Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) Transport Group has undertaken a survey of the carbon footprint of the audience, going to and from Airbourne, which is also referred to as the Eastbourne Airshow. In the past EEAN have estimated the carbon footprint based on Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) surveys and from other external sources.
The provisional Carbon Footprint for the Audience, from this survey, is estimated at between *3,500* and *4,000* tonnes CO2e depending on the assumptions used. Different carbon emission models, the allocation of a trip within a holiday to Airbourne, vehicle occupancy, multi stage trips, all affect the data. It should be noted that this range is lower than the estimates, in past years. So a review should be carried out by EEAN, when EBC undertake their own analysis for 2025, to cross check and validate this report
However in undertaking this exercise, there were some shortcomings in the approach, that could be addressed next time. Mainly around more accurately analysing people who are coming to Airbourne from the holiday location and not directly from their home. This is covered in the section “How we should have done the survey” . So a blue print for what we could do in 2026 to improve the research.
Background
EBC’s Events Department state “[We] work pro-actively in our approach to sustainability at all of our events including Airbourne. We strive to ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of our decision making as opposed to being an afterthought. Airbourne brings a significant number of people into our town over the course of four days and we try our best to make our event carbon friendly.”
“Only 3.7% of emissions generated by Airbourne are from the flying display aircraft. In fact, all of the displays in total generate less than a one-way flight to New York! The biggest generator of all emissions is actually from the people travelling to events, with 96.1% of all emissions at Airbourne 2022 generated by audience related travel, and just 0.2% from other sources.”
From the EBC 2023/24 Carbon neutral report. “The council has now collected two years’ worth of data from the Airbourne airshow … The visitor survey was particularly successful this year having 1896 responses. As we estimate audience travel based on visitor numbers of 750,000 people, the more people that complete the survey and give us actual information, the more realistic an estimate we can make. Total emissions this year have been calculated as 5479 tonnes, a 12.8% reduction on 2022.” (Around 96% of this is down to audience travel so this is **5250** tonnes)
Survey Results High level
The largest number of attendees come by car using diesel or petrol, and this is reflected in the charts below . There are a reasonable number of people who use public transport, walk and cycle all of these have lower carbon profiles
Carbon Footprint Assumptions
One problem, for anyone estimating the carbon footprint, is choosing what ‘calculator’ to use . Different organisations vary in their assumptions
Approaches to be considered may include
Count all electric vehicles as having zero tailpipe emissions, so no CO2, in line with the the UK emissions by Council 2005 to 2023 , which excludes carbon emissions of any electric transport ( Electric Vehicles, trains, and e-buses ). They also count, over a year, only the distance covered within Eastbourne. So much, of Airbourne’s journeys, will be allocated to the District Councils of Lewes, Wealden and Rother.
Including the whole trip ‘door to door’.
The whole trip, as in the above, but with all the elements of manufacture, disposal and indirect elements
Allocating CO2 for visitors from long distances, who then stay locally. Where they then have short trips to Airbourne where they might cycle or walk, each day, to the event.
Regardless the type of car, the larger the vehicle, generally the higher the emissions. Families may choose their largest car for this journey
Factoring in ‘Stop start’ journeys, with a different CO2 profile to motorway driving.
There are three main types of hybrid: mild , full , and plug-in. Each with a different CO2 profile though here an average of all 3 is used.
Different Calculations for Carbon Emissions
In this report the TNMT approach, is mostly used.
‘Our World in data’ , which is based on UK Government data, tends to be lower. The main difference is around trains where TNMT will include more indirect factors around the infrastructure running a railway.
However at Airbourne, there were higher levels of passengers in buses, trains and cars than for an average journey. This could be reflected in the carbon footprint per passenger. The occupancy rate for cars was just above 3.
There will be trains and buses returning that are not full. Likewise the ‘Park and Ride’ buses were probably running one way with 50 passengers and with very few on the return. Many local buses were so full at times that they drove past waiting passengers
One approach, used in the first iteration of this report, was to calculate the carbon for each vehicle occupant and gross this up for all those involved in the survey. This did not give a significantly different answer than the simpler method of using one person per private vehicle and then adjust later for the sample size.
So, as explained, the TNMT model has additional CO2 for electric vehicles, because of the manufacture and disposal, especially of batteries. Plus the carbon for electricity is very dependent on how green the grid mix is.
Survey analysis
Many people will attend on multiple days and any count is difficult, as there is no controlled access to the event . In the survey, people could describe two methods, they used to get to the event. For the ‘main method’ of transport the estimate for Carbon is 3150 for an assumed audience of 750,000. (There may be in the table some rounding errors).
Total 3,150 Tonnes CO2e
Miles 1 way – Reported journey for survey in miles – as this is easier for the public to describe their trip there
Km Return for vehicles – Converting into kilometres and then doubling for return
Survey Count – Those who describe their ‘Main Method’ for each transport method
Passenger Count – The passengers for the ‘Survey Count’
CO2 pp gm/km – CO2 per passenger (person) per kilometre (TNMT)
CO2 kg pp for all the journeys. Km return * CO2 pp converted into Kilograms
CO2 tonne for 750,000 – 750,000 is an estimate used by EBC for attendance ( 372 people in survey * 2000 is approx 750k) Then converted into tonnes
Petrol/Diesel – Private Cars with Internal Combustion Engine
Other – A mix of methods including powered wheelchairs, motorbikes and larger vehicles
Hybrid- An average of different types of hybrid – as not differentiated in survey
Taxi – Assumes mostly hybrid cars.
Many people will have multi ‘stage’ trips to get here. Estimates of the ‘second method’ will therefore be for a shorter distance. This will include those visitors who may have come a long way away but are staying reasonably locally and their journeys on these days are less, perhaps using Park and Ride buses, or local buses from the station or town centre. A rough estimate is around 350 tonnes . So the total for all journeys is close to 3,500 Tonnes. ( 3150 + 350)
There is no strong confidence attributable to this figure, as the 750k audience is an estimate and the sample size is small.
Survey questions
Two members of EEAN Transport Group did the interviews. This has the advantage that the interviewer can extract from the conversation the key pieces of data. They tried to make the sampling as random as possible, by time of day, day of week and location. Having only 128 surveys for 372 people is not enough. The technology was a web-link with 3G on mobile phones to a Google form that feeds a Google Sheet .
Comparison with Eastbourne BC data 2022.
It is assumed that the EBC data is all collected from the online feedback form. It is possible that those strongly motivated or financially affected by the event, will be more likely to complete the survey. So for example the figure of 4 coaches with 180 passengers scaled up to 750,000 people would be a very high 40,000 passengers and 1,000 coach trips. It is assumed that the coach operator completed the survey rather that a random sample of the audience, which would be more in line with the EEAN survey. The coaches appearing to have much higher passenger numbers than those using local buses.
Likewise those who are local and less interested may spend only a few hours but on several days. They may be less likely to fill in the questionnaire. Their day may also include work, leisure and shopping and although perhaps driving to town they walked to Airbourne. The average distances are therefore higher with the EBC ‘model’ than in the EEAN survey.
How we should have done the survey
There were some good elements such as capturing multi stage trips. For those staying locally the current questionnaire failed to tease out all the complexities of the trip for each day at Airbourne. The questions would be improved by asking
How far did you travel, from home to your holiday destination (Miles)
How did you get to your holiday destination
How many days are/were you on holiday
Of these how many are coming to Airbourne
How far did you travel, from where you are staying on holiday, to Eastbourne seafront (Miles)
Nearly six years since Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) set its target to become carbon neutral by 2030 and the Eastbourne ECO Action Network (EEAN) was formed, the 2025 Symposium offered a moment to reflect on progress, reassess goals, and explore the next steps.
Symposium Panel Discussion
Collaborative dialogue on climate action
Eight presentations, followed by a panel Q&A and open discussion, brought together EEAN members, local councillors, Donnalyn Morris (Bus Service Improvement Plan Officer at East Sussex County Council (ESCC)), representatives from organisations registered as Community Interest Companies and Community Benefit Societies, businesses, charities, campaigners, and residents, including Lord Ralph Lucas.
Participants included representatives from Energise Sussex Coast (ESC), Plastic Free Eastbourne, Bespoke Cycle Group, the Eastbourne United Nations Association (EUNA), the Eastbourne Climate Coalition, international groups such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and Emmanuel Church, the venue host.
The afternoon began with two opening speeches, one from EEAN’s Executive Director, Andrew Durling and another from EBC Leader Councillor Stephen Holt. Cllr Holt’s speech recognised the achievements of EEAN and associated groups since 2019. He praised EEAN’s role as a “critical friend” to EBC, challenging but constructive, providing a dialogue for improvement toward the 2030 carbon-neutral goal.
Andy outlined how carbon cycles are essential to life on Earth and stressed the urgent need to restore balance by cutting emissions and enhancing natural carbon capture. We need actions like tree planting and soil restoration to increase the ability of the land and ocean to absorb the excess carbon and neutralise the excess of carbon emitted.
He also highlighted the success of local initiatives, from Treebourne and food allotments, attempting to relocalise the food system and EUNA’s carbon offsetting project, to hospital car park solar panels, Energise Sussex Coast, and many other environmental projects across the town.
Community energy, retrofits, fuel vouchers and beyond
Richard Watson, co-founder of ESC, gave a compelling presentation on their community-owned solar projects, including new schemes to install shared solar in blocks of flats using Solshare technology, allowing residents to equitably share the solar energy supplied.
As a Community Benefit Society, ESC secures grants and raises funds through community share offers, so that local energy is owned by local people and supports the local economy through lower costs for residents. Any surplus is used to address fuel poverty, providing practical help with retrofits, Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) improvements, fuel vouchers, retrofit advice and more.
Chris Richards introduced ESC’s Energy Champions project, which trains local volunteers to provide eco-energy advice and connect residents with additional support. He emphasised the importance of understanding Scope 1 (direct), 2 (purchased energy), and 3 (supply chain and other indirect) emissions, and discussed the value of solar carports, ward-specific emissions research, and combining art with climate science to engage the public.
Grid capacity and possibilities
During the panel, Richard highlighted a key barrier: limited local grid capacity. ESC planned a 300kW solar installation at a bowls centre, but they would only use 15%, and the grid cannot handle the reverse flow (when excess solar power is fed back into the grid). A £300,000 upgrade, “for the transformer and the primary substation,” is required, rendering the project unviable. Community batteries, inspired by Australian models, were floated as a potential solution. These store and share power locally.
During the presentation and beyond, there were also suggestions and talks of:
AI mapping Eastbourne’s solar potential (rooftops, etc.)
Developing solar carports in car parks
Exploring the possibility of having community-owned turbines via the Rampion extension – an extension taking place to the pre-existing wind turbines off the coast of Newhaven
Solar options for temporary housing (which Cllr Holt was specifically interested in)
“One turbine would generate enough power for 12,000 homes”, Richard said. “So three [large] turbines would be enough to power almost all the homes in Eastbourne.”
Professor Scarlett McNally, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of Eastbourne Bespoke Cycle Group, underlined the health and wider environmental, economic and social benefits of active travel. Walking and cycling reduce emissions and improve air quality. But they also reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, many other illnesses, and road accidents. This also eases pressure on the NHS, both through prevention and reduced accidents.
“142 pedestrians have been hit by cars in Eastbourne over the past five years,” she noted. “This is a health and safety issue, not just a climate one.”
Jill Shacklock, EEAN Director, shared updates from EABUG, a successful project bringing together bus operators, councillors, council officers, and local bus users. She also ran a quiz on emissions and shared key statistics:
68% of Eastbourne commutes are by car; just 2% by bicycle
70% of UK residents support 20mph zones; only 14% oppose
Fewer injuries and deaths reported since Wales introduced 20mph limits
Community interaction and health improve alongside emissions cuts
Transport featured heavily in the panel Q&A and discussion regarding:
The seafront bus lane start date
Could sections of the seafront be bus-and-bike only?
Possible pedestrianisation areas
Funds allocated for bus lanes potentially being redirected elsewhere
Regarding the last point, Cllr Brett Wright said, “We need to put pressure on ESCC to actually spend that money on the bus lanes now, rather than delaying them to free up funds for the Exceat Bridge.”
Oliver Sterno of Plastic Free Eastbourne (PFE) outlined how infrastructure changes, like public water fountains and reusable bottle campaigns, can nudge behaviour. Thanks to council support for PFE’s “Refill Eastbourne” project, the town now has 14 public water fountains.
He also shared his annual tracking of travel and consumption reductions, saying, “We need to show people not just how to consume differently, but why.”
On corporate responsibility, he added: “We really need to get some powerful people — like the council, or the government — to start confronting these businesses. It’s the same with the water companies.”
This message of shared responsibility was echoed by the venue hosts, Emmanuel Church. Stephen Brown spoke about energy auditing, water-saving measures, waste reduction, ethical procurement practices and lifestyle changes regarding consumption and carbon footprint reduction. Emmanuel Church won an Eco Church award for environmental sustainability, making it an appropriate venue for the Symposium. The church congregation kindly donated the entire cost of hiring the venue as a gesture of support for the ECN2030 campaign.
Ian Elgin of the EUNA spoke on carbon offsetting through the Uganda tree-planting project, which saw 14,000 trees planted in 2023, with similar numbers in 2024. EBC have become involved in the project to offset Airbourne emissions.
During the discussion, he asked: “We’ve got five years to become carbon neutral. Where is the message getting through to businesses?” Christina Ewbank (Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce) offered to connect him with businesses but said manufacturers and parent companies —not just small local branches and businesses—require most encouragement.
A recurring theme throughout the day was how to meaningfully involve young people in climate action. Ideas included:
Monthly school eco-magazines
Public art campaigns to raise awareness
Solar panels on schools
Eco projects
More influence from Youth Parliament
Treebourne’s school partnerships were praised as models of engagement.
Sea defences
Andrew reminded attendees that the Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme’s long-term plans won’t start until 2037, and urged faster action alongside others. Whilst Cllr Wright stated that, thinking like a Whitehall civil servant, who decides which towns get sea defence funding, Eastbourne needs to remain economically attractive.
Cllr Jim Murray (Cabinet Member for Carbon Neutral 2030 and Water Champion) noted how the town is prioritised for funding and highlighted its social and economic importance. “If the sea wall collapses, 30,000 houses get flooded. Because of that figure, we’re getting prioritised. We’ve got the largest amount of money singled out for sea defences in the country.”
However, current funding models plan for only 1 metre of rise, while some climate science projections (Professor James Hansen) reach up to 3, 4, even 5 metres, and as Andrew pointed out, £100 million is not enough. He highlighted how Pevensey and Cooden beaches have “extremely low shingle banks” and need to be prioritised by the Environment Agency.
Council progress
Cllr Murray’s presentation highlighted council progress:
The day closed with a mix of urgency and hope. “We haven’t solved the problems,” said Lord Ralph Lucas, “but at least we focused on them.”
There are questions left to answer regarding bus and bike lanes, changing transport perspectives, encouraging plastic reduction, ethical consumption, community energy, solar new builds, sea defences, and fundamentally, what stimulates change, and whether/how local economic growth can exist alongside the aims to reduce carbon emissions.
Cllr Candy Vaughan, the town’s Mayor at the time, concluded: “We want to make it happen [carbon neutral by 2030] and it’s only going to be down to us [everyone in the room and Eastbourne] to make anything happen. So let’s start.”
Top 10 actions raised at the 2025 Symposium
Expand community-owned solar and battery storage
Improve cycling, walking and bus infrastructure
Scale up refill schemes and cut plastic waste
Boost carbon literacy and climate education
Accelerate sea defence planning
Engage more businesses in climate responsibility
Continue expanding nature recovery, local food allotments and tree planting
Support green skills and youth employment
Retrofit homes to reduce emissions and fuel poverty
Use arts and media to communicate climate issues
Get Involved
Whether you’re an individual, a business, a school, or a community group, there’s a role for you in helping Eastbourne reach its Carbon Neutral 2030 target.
Ways to get involved:
Join or support local projects like Treebourne, Refill Eastbourne, or EABUG
Become an ESC Energy Champion and help neighbours cut energy use, adopt greener energy practices and signpost to services
Write to your councillor or MP about sea defences, active travel, and climate priorities
Follow and engage with EEAN on social media and subscribe for updates
See how you can change your household energy system, travel and consumption choices
With five years to go, Eastbourne’s path to carbon neutrality will depend on continued community effort, cross-sector collaboration, and the will to turn plans into progress.
Biodiversity and conservation on the Pevensey Levels
By Sam Powell
On a calm Sunday in May, the Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) led a walk across the Pevensey Levels, a land where water meets land, history seeps into the soil and rare life exists.
Following the Pevensey Castle and Pevensey Haven Circular, the walk traced a quiet path through one of southern Britain’s most ecologically rich wetlands. Here, the past folds into the present: the 290 AD Roman fort (Anderida) and the 12th-13th century Norman castle echo across the lowland marsh, where grass beds bow in the breeze.
Pevensey Haven Photo credit: Sam Powell
A living wetland
Between Eastbourne, Bexhill-on-Sea and Hailsham, the Levels stretch across some 3,600 hectares of protected Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), also designated as a Ramsar site and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Its complex channels, sluices and ditches, controlled by the Pevensey and Cuckmere Water Level Management Board, Environment Agency, Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT), East Sussex County Council and local district councils, support both agriculture and one of England’s last great wetland ecologies.
To walk here is to step into a world alive with sound and stillness. Reed warblers sang; a heron rose from a “scrape” pool, and below the Pevensey Haven water’s surface, bream, carp, pike, roach, chub, tench, eel and perch swam unseen. Overhead, the occasional geese honked as grass whispered in the wind.
Long ago, the sea lapped the base of Pevensey Castle. Today it lies a mile away, edged back by centuries of land reclamation and natural processes. But freshwater still shapes life here.
Quinces and Pippin apples growing in a community orchard across from Pevensey Castle. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Rare and at-risk
Not all life is as easy to see. The lapwing, once common, is now red-listed in the UK. The yellow wagtail and snipe have also become rarer. In still corners, the great silver water beetle, shining ram’s-horn snail and fen raft spider continue their quiet existence.
Amphibians such as the great crested newt, which moves among aquatic plants and is protected under UK and EU law, rely on clean water, as do elusive barbastelle bats and water voles that slip silently through the reeds.
All are vulnerable to pollution, especially from the 77 combined and emergency sewer overflows mapped within the Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels catchment.
Andrew Durling (right) and Robert McGowan (left) led the walk across the Levels. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Guardians of the Levels
In response, conservation efforts have arisen. Formed in 2018, the Pevensey Levels Farmers Cluster Group (PLFCG), a sixty-strong coalition, supported by the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund has worked to restore balance through sustainable land management.
SWT, with its 150-hectare reserve purchased in 1996, partners with PLFCG to deepen that work. Through its Network for Nature project, ditches are reprofiling, culverts set, scrapes formed, shallow pools to welcome waterbirds and deeper ponds dug.
As SWT’s Jamie Parsons describes it, this is a reserve alive with “rare species such as the Fen Raft Spider, at least 25 rare aquatic molluscs, 16 species of Odonata such as Hairy Dragonfly, along with a huge number of rare aquatic invertebrates and plants.”
We met Martin Hole, owner of Montague Farm, National Farmers Union South East chair and co-founder of the PLFCG. A lapwing conservationist and lover of rooks, he spoke of water levels, habitat and the land’s slow healing.
In a field of Martin’s, a sea of almost 4,000 green-winged orchids bloomed among 20 grass species. Considered “near threatened” in the UK, they’ve returned with quiet determination, living proof of what patient care can restore.
As the walk neared its end, a fork in the path offered two choices, one toward the local pub, the other back to the railway station and modern life. The group parted gently, with the low sun stretching shadows over the grass.
Behind us, the Levels lay calm, echoing with birdsong, holding centuries of memory and the fragile promise of continued renewal.
Martin Hole talks about biodiversity, conservation and farming on the Pevensey Levels. PhotoCredit: Sam Powell.
Eastbourne campaigners call for year-round seawater testing
By Sam Powell
On 17th May 2025, dozens gathered on Eastbourne’s beach by the Wish Tower as part of a national “Paddle Out” protest by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), calling for action on sewage pollution and year-round water testing. Eastbourne’s demonstration, one of 43 nationwide, was organised by Plastic Free Eastbourne, founded by Oliver Sterno in 2018 and designated SAS’s seventh “Plastic Free Community” in 2019.
Local voices urge change
Campaigners want the Environment Agency (EA) to extend water testing off Eastbourne’s beaches beyond the May-September bathing season, citing increased year-round sea swimming, health and environmental risks from contamination.
“We are here for the same reason, and that is because we want to see our oceans and our health protected,” said Emma O’Neill of SAS. “The water system in this country is broken, and now is the time to call for change.”
Emma referenced EA data indicating an increase in “spill” discharge hours across England in 2024. Combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharge reached a record total of 3,614,427 hours, an increase of 8,558 hours (0.22%) compared to the previous year (The Rivers Trust).
“This is simply not good enough, and pollution for profit must stop, and that’s why we’re here today,” Emma added, citing figures available through the Top of the Poops database and UK Parliament stats, showing that Southern Water released untreated sewage for 304,537 hours in 2024, a reduction of 4% compared to 2023, across 29,355 CSOs.
While seawater quality in Eastbourne was rated “good” in 2024, Southern Water still released untreated sewage 91 times, lasting a total of 617 hours, which is a decrease from 2023’s 108 releases lasting a total of 754 hours, and an increase from 2022’s 434 hours. However, this does not cover “spills” from inland pipes into rivers.
“We want the quality to be good all through the year,” Oliver Sterno added. “They test it from May; they should test it in the winter months as well, because we have swimmers here all year round.”
Currently, only citizen science fills the year-round testing gap. More than 30 swimmers were preparing to enter the sea, and just two said it was their first dip that year, highlighting the year-round use. Before they entered, Emma declared: “Our message really is clear, cut the crap and end the sewage scandal.”
Onshore, protesters chanted:
“What do we want? Clean waters! When do we want it? Now! Stop the scum, clean the tides! No more sewage, no more lies!”
Surfers Against Sewage “Paddle Out” event, Eastbourne, 17 May, 2025. Photo credit: Sam Powell
Oliver Sterno (right) and Chris Mason (left). Photo credit: Sam Powell.
The sea remained relatively calm for Eastbourne’s 2025 “Paddle Out” event. Photo credit: Sam Powell
Policy Reform and Accountability
Emma O’Neill also highlighted some progress. Since 2017, Southern Water has not paid shareholder dividends, and the Independent Water Commission, chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, is reviewing the sector, inspiring SAS’s ‘Dear Jon’ campaign.
The Water Special Measures Act 2025 also introduces:
Criminal liability for environmental breaches
Penalties
Bonus bans for underperformance
Independent real-time sewage outflow monitoring
Mandatory Pollution Incident Reduction Plans
It came into force on June 6th, immediately blocking bonuses for 10 executives across six firms, including Southern Water. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Water company bosses, like anyone else, should only get bonuses if they’ve performed well, certainly not if they’ve failed to tackle water pollution.”
Real-time Event Duration Monitoring has also been in place since 1 January 2025 under Section 81 of the Environment Act 2021.
Jill Shacklock (pictured left) and Robert McGowan of EEAN joined the event, as did Cllr Ali Dehdashty, (then) Mayor Cllr Candy Vaughan and Cllr Andy Collins. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Southern Water's plans for Eastbourne
Of four local coastal outflows, three already meet the 2050 target stating that “Storm overflows will not be permitted to discharge above an average of 10 rainfall events per year by 2050” as outlined in the government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan.
The company has pledged £21.36 million for post-2030 upgrades to Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Works 1, located roughly 2.5 miles offshore, to boost storage and treatment capacity to meet these targets.
A poster outside the Eastbourne Wastewater Treatment Works. It has recently also come under fire due to unpleasant smells in the area. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Victorian infrastructure and systemic challenges
Companies cite Victorian infrastructure, increased use, rainfall, and pump failures as reasons for raw sewage release during heavy rain to prevent home backflows, such as the 16 incidents recorded in the Pevensey and Cuckmere catchment in 2019-2020 (see p. 10).
However, campaigners state concerns about “dry spills” during good weather and a lack of past regulatory action. Critics argue England’s fully privatised water system, unique globally, is ill-equipped to tackle these systemic issues. As Parliament noted in 2018, “England is the only country to have fully privatised its water and sewerage system.” With around 15,000 storm overflows in England, pressure for deeper reform is mounting.
Location of Eastbourne’s three main sewage outfall pipes (Langney Point). The other (the rarely used “Granville Road Eastbourne” pipe) is near the Western Lawns. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Investment and the cost
In 2023, Southern Water CEO Lawrence Gosden said he apologises “that action was not taken sooner on sewage spills in the South-East,” and endorsed Water UK’s industry-wide £10 billion investment plan from 2023 to 2030.
Southern Water alone has pledged £7.8 billion to upgrade services, with £1.5 billion aimed at cutting sewage spills by 8,000 annually by 2035.
But the costs may fall on customers. Ofwat’s David Black warned of rising bills in late 2024. A 2022 government press release spoke of the difficulties of achieving the ideal solution of separating rainwater and sewage pipes. It stated it “would cost between £350 billion and £600 billion,” while alternative solutions involving storage tanks could cost £160 – £240 billion, all impacting consumer bills.
As the push for cleaner seas continues, progress is steady but costly, reigniting debate over regulation, historic underinvestment and the case for public ownership.
Eastbourne’s Spring Water Festival returned this year for the fifth time, with nine days of events from the 10th to the 18th of May, highlighting a range of environmental projects and issues with a focus on the importance of water.
Eco Fair
The opening ceremony of the Eco Fair on the Western Lawns took place at 1pm on Saturday, 10th May. Plastic Free Eastbourne’s (PFE) lead coordinator, Oliver Sterno, opened with a speech, followed by Mayor Cllr Candy Vaughan, MP Josh Babarinde, and Council Leader Cllr Stephen Holt, who also thanked attendees.
The fair featured stalls from the Eastbourne Eco Action Network, promoting sustainable transport, and Energise Sussex Coast, offering free energy advice. Other stalls included reused material fashion, eco-themed art, and contributions from Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion, Blue Heart, PFE, local food vendors, and more, all showcasing efforts to improve Eastbourne’s environmental future.
The Eco Fair on the Western Lawns. Photo credit: Sam Powell
Let's get Kidical
One of the festival’s standout events was the “Kidical Mass Bike Ride”, a global campaign locally organised by Bespoke Cycle Group. Parents, children, local councillors and residents cycled from the Lawns to Princes Park and back, calling for better cycling infrastructure, particularly along the seafront, to enable safer cycling for children and promote active, eco-friendly transport.
Tomas Siroky and Robert McGowan leading the way. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Water walks, water talks, water museums and more
A guided walk on Pevensey Levels on the first Sunday explored wetland biodiversity and conservation efforts. The “Paddle Out” protest, on the following Saturday, drew more than 30 people and numerous beachgoers to demand action on the sewage crisis and year-round water- quality testing.
At The View Hotel, Compass Community Arts and Strandliners, supported by Blue Heart funding, created the interactive “Museum of Water”, using water samples to highlight local water health and its environmental journey.
Events throughout the week included litter picks, educational talks, bench dances, walks, art exhibitions, well-being sessions and family-friendly activities.
The Pevensey Levels walk was guided by Andrew Durling and Robert McGowan of EEAN. Photo credit: Sam Powell.
Political engagement
Festival participants included Liberal Democrat councillors Tom Nevill, Ali Dehdashty and Andy Collins; Conservative councillor David Small and peer Lord Ralf Lucas; and 2024 Green Party parliamentary candidate Mike Munson. MP Josh Babarinde, who spoke at the opening ceremony, also tabled a parliamentary motion recognising the festival and advocating for cleaner water and reduced plastic use. In 2017, over a million plastic bottles were bought globally every minute, many ending up in waterways and landfills.
Closing ceremony
The festival concluded at Holywell Beach, where a natural spring meets the sea, with a performance art piece accompanied by a violinist. Cllr James Murray praised PFE’s initiatives, including refill water stations and local beach clean-ups. The event closed with Oliver Sterno officially handing over the leadership to the new PFE coordinator, Chris Mason.
Oliver Sterno (right) and Chris Mason (left) at the “Paddle Out” Protest. PhotoCredit: Sam Powell.
Exploring local landscapes: ecology, geography, history & folklore
Part of our work at Eastbourne Eco Action Network is to share information about protecting and supporting wildlife and biodiversity in our area, which got us thinking about organising a series of guided walks this spring. We were fortunate to receive a small grant from the Chalk Cliff Trust to make it happen.
Six spring strolls
The walks project is about developing our work on biodiversity and eco-education – an enjoyable way to introduce people to the beautiful, yet fragile ecology of the countryside around Eastbourne. Each walk covered a different landscape: downland, forest, river valley, marsh and coastal, with start and end points accessible by public transport. They were led by experts and enthusiasts – in ecology, biology, geography, folklore and Sussex history.
We wanted to avoid reinventing the wheel – and link up with other organisations working in the same field, including the South Downs National Park Authority, Towner Art Gallery and Sussex Wildlife Trust to share expertise and develop relationships for future collaboration. We also wanted to build on the excellent work of the Eastbourne Walking Festival and Beachy Head Story, which both closed as a result of cutbacks at Eastbourne Borough Council.
The skies were indeed dark – as advertised. But of twinkling stars, glowing planets and the majesty of the heavens… there was no sign. Just a wall of low cloud and a keen breeze flowing in from the sea. We ducked into the lee of a flint barn – and watched Ant Miller of Eastbourne Astronomical Society perform a remarkable riff on the wonders of the night sky without props or any assistance.
Our group of 12 had climbed Went Hill from the Tiger Inn at East Dean at dusk. This walk was timed to coincide with the South Downs National Park’s Dark Skies Festival over half term. We returned to the Tiger Inn via Crowlink Lane and Friston Pond – and were treated to traditional folk songs with wintry, celestial themes – beautifully performed by Liz Overs and Dave Tomlins.
2. River & downland: Druids, drovers & dragons – natural history & folklore
In bright spring sunshine we gathered on the green at Alfriston. And local historian, Matt Fenton expertly guided our group of 15 along the bank of the River Cuckmere and up an ancient holloway to the grassy slopes of Windover Hill.
As he read an old Sussex story that played out in the expansive landscape below us, a lark ascended; followed by a close encounter with a red kite and two wheeling crows.
A downland stroll to the exquisite Lullington church, which was briefly awash with lovely folk songs from Liz Overs and her trusty autoharp. Then back down the hill to Alfriston for a cider in the garden of The George Inn.
3. Woodland: Singing the forest – natural history & folklore
The car park of Seven Sisters Country Park Visitors Centre is shaded by tall trees, which form the edge of Friston Forest. Into which our group of 18 strolled – heading for the hamlet of West Dean. Now encircled by mighty beeches, sycamore and oaks, it was once the gateway to miles of open downland, grazed by thousands of sheep and tended by shepherds and collies.
We pointed out the row of cottages opposite the village pond, constructed for foresters in the 1920s – in part to protect the chalk aquifer that provided drinking water to the growing resort of Eastbourne.
Amid a stand of greening beech trees, Liz Overs and Sandra Manning-Jones sang traditional songs of woodland and Spring. Onward, through the forest, past the elegant Victorian pumping station and up to Friston church – for more songs about the people & places of old Sussex.
4. River & meadows: Snake River Safari – ecology, geography & history
If you want to walk inland along the Cuckmere valley towards Alfriston from the Seven Sisters Country Park Visitors centre, you need to take the narrow footpath alongside the A259 almost as far as the Cuckmere Inn. Then cross the road, climb over a stile and you are on the riverbank.
On that fine spring Sunday afternoon, the road was busy, noisy and exhaust-filled – contrasting vividly with the peaceful riverbank. As the sound of engines receded, so those of birdsong, the rustling of reeds, lowing cattle, the river’s gentle splashes and lapping wavelets strengthened.
Rebecca Harris, binoculars and field guide to hand, pointed out the subtle variations between the calls of different warblers, or rooks and crows. Her National Trust colleague, Matt Fenton, told of the valley’s deep history.
We paused for refreshments in the garden of Litlington’s Plough & Harrow and returned to Exceat along the riverbank, then through bluebell-infused woodland as the shadows lengthened.
5. Marsh: Mysteries of the Pevensey Levels – ecology, history & folklore
It was a walk of two halves. Starting with a tour of the ancient village of Pevensey – through a churchyard where the outline of 14th century plague pits are still visible. And past the mighty castle walls – washed by waves of cow parsley, echoing the froth of actual waves centuries ago.
Andy Durling explained his work cultivating a community orchard beneath the ramparts – and led us through to the small, but potent Court House Museum. We heard about the 700 Norman longships that appeared one afternoon in September 1066, Pevensey in its Cinque Port heyday, tales of smuggling and misdeeds and an epic historical pagaent in 1908.
The second half involved the Pevensey Levels, famed for their endless marshes and wide skies. Sparsely populated and little visited by people, the Levels are rich in wildlife, as Martin Hole, owner of Montague Farm explained from the seat of his quad bike, parked atop a mound with majestic views. He is especially proud of restoration work that has culminated in a field full of rare green-winged orchids, which he showed us on the walk back to Pevensey & Westham station.
We started by the Western Lawns – elegant Edwardian gardens near Eastbourne’s Grand Hotel – and headed west along the middle promande. Past the Italian Gardens, a former chalk pit now replete with mature trees and shrubs, to Holywell – the sacred source of spring water trickling from crumbling chalk cliffs.
And once home to a fishing community – its cottages and net-drying sheds and lime kilns having long since tumbled into the sea.
David Beer, of Sussex Wildlife Trust, led us further west, to Cow Gap, pointing out an array of local wildlife – from red valerian, mallow, cowslips and viper’s bugloss to day-flying moths, kestrel, stonechat, little egret and, perhaps, the bobbing head of a grey seal.
There was social history too. Whitbread Hollow, it turns out, was home to one of the UK’s first public allotments. They were the brainchild of Mary Ann Gilbert, the landowner who lived at Gildredge Manor, who wanted to help locals at a time of worklessness and poverty in the 1830s.
The coastal walk – and this series of spring strolls – ended in the sunlit garden of the Pilot Inn, Meads. Thank you to all our leaders and to everyone who came along.
Eastbourne deserves a public transport system that is frequent, punctual, reliable, and affordable. But right now, that’s not the reality. As one of the most congested towns in the Southeast of England, Eastbourne’s traffic is holding back our buses—and our community.
Why Buses Are Struggling
When buses are delayed by traffic, they become unreliable. People then turn to their cars, which adds even more congestion. This vicious cycle makes it harder for bus companies to run profitable routes, leading to service cuts and reduced frequency. And so, the downward spiral continues.
We’ve already seen this happen: routes have been cut, and timetables thinned out. Not because people don’t want to use buses—but because the system isn’t working for them.
Break the Cycle: Prioritise Buses
It’s time to reverse this trend. Bus priority lanes—like those proposed for Seaside–St Anthony’s and Upperton Road—are a key part of the solution. These dedicated lanes would allow buses to bypass traffic, making them faster and more reliable.
With better service, more people will choose the bus. That means:
Less congestion
Cleaner air
More investment in routes
A shift toward electric, quieter, and greener buses
Take Action: Support the Bus Lanes
The East Sussex County Council (ESCC) consultation is open until 13th June 2025. This is your chance to support a better future for Eastbourne’s transport.
✅ Support the proposed bus lanes ✅ Break the cycle of congestion and cuts ✅ Help build a cleaner, more connected town
Please see the below links to ESCC’s Citizen Space platform, which provides information, documentation, and the ability to make a representation to the TROs:
This blog post is by one of our members, Sam Powell, who is also one of our Eastbourne Energy Champions:
Why Do Councils Fail to Enforce Energy Standards in Rental Homes Despite Having the Power to Do So?
‘Understanding EPCs’ chart at an Energise Sussex Coast (ESC) training day. ESC actively partners with Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC), offering energy and retrofit advice to local households.
MEES and EPC Consultations: Change in the Rented Sector?
The UK government is consulting on significant MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard) and EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) changes, including new low-carbon EPC metrics, a proposed minimum rating of C for rented properties, and a higher landlord ‘cash cap’ for improvement costs. These reforms aim to raise energy standards in private and social rented housing, targeting fuel poverty and incentivising low-carbon energy efficient options.
The government ‘guidance’ on MEES states, “MEES Regulations are enforced by local authorities, who have a range of powers to check and ensure compliance.” The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (PRP Regulations 2015 from now on) require a minimum rating of EPC E for the rented sector. However, according to Climate Emergency UK (CE UK), three-quarters of single-tier and district/borough councils were not actively enforcing MEES in 2021-2022.
Will these proposed reforms shift the dynamics between councils, landlords and tenants concerning energy efficiency and fuel poverty? And can tighter standards make a real difference in the rented sector?
EPCs, MEES, and the 2025 Reform Push
EPCs were introduced in 2007 as part of the now-defunct Home Information Packs (HIPs) under Part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. Initially required only for homes with four or more bedrooms being marketed for sale, the scheme was gradually extended to smaller properties and, from 1 October 2008, to all rental properties. This broader rollout drew from the EU’s 2002 (but published in 2003) Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), later transposed into UK law through the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012.
According to the Office for National Statistics, “just over 69% of all residential dwellings in England, and 66% in Wales, had at least one EPC registration since records began in 2007, as of March 2024.” They are currently valid for 10 years and rate a property’s energy efficiency from A (most efficient) to G (least). The measurement is, as a government guide states, “based on the performance potential of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, insulation, ventilation and fuels used).” EPCs are designed to inform landlords and tenants about a home’s energy performance and how to improve it, tackling both emissions (as homes in 2022 produced roughly 20% of greenhouse gases according to a 2024 gov report) and fuel poverty.
MEES legislation, introduced via the PRP Regulations 2015, requires landlords in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to meet a minimum EPC rating to let out a property legally. Since 2018, all new tenancies have required an EPC E rating or higher, and from April 2020, this rule has applied to all tenancies.
Yet, in practice, MEES enforcement from local authorities has been patchy since its introduction and the reliability of EPC ratings in both the domestic and non-domestic spheres has come under debate (Yuan and Choudhary, 2023 and recent debates).
MEES compliance is based heavily on the EPC’s Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) metric, “which grades buildings on the basis of running costs”, the consultation clarifies, as well as an Environment Impact Rating (EIR) measuring carbon dioxide emissions. However, this could change. As part of the government’s 2025 MEES consultation, ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes’- closing on 2 May 2025 – there are proposals to overhaul the methodology utilising the policy consulted in the recently closed EPC consultation. The two consultations work in a policy synergy.
In the EPC consultation, amongst other aspects consulted, like reducing the validity period length of EPCs, the government proposed EPCs to reflect actual building low carbon performance more accurately. They propose new metrics measuring ‘energy cost’, ‘carbon’, ‘energy use’, ‘fabric performance’, ‘heating system’, and ‘smart readiness’, alongside possible ‘other metrics’ in the future. The new eco-performance-based metric system seeks to influence MEES compliance along low-carbon lines.
As the Climate Change Committee (CCC) have argued, “Currently the EER metric does not adequately incentivise homeowners to install fabric efficiency measures. The cheapest and easiest way to improve a home’s EER is often to fit a more efficient fossil fuel boiler (which reduces fuel consumption) or install solar PV (which reduces or offsets electricity consumption).” As the MEES consultation notes, “given the higher cost of electricity relative to gas, installing an electric heating component, such as a heat pump, may result in higher estimated running costs and a lower EPC rating, without additional cost-saving measures such as improved fabric and smart technologies.” The government hopes to replace the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) with a ‘Home Energy Model’ to encourage low-carbon energy efficiency.
The new MEES consultation also suggests a major tightening of standards:
All new tenancies would need to meet EPC C by 2028
All existing tenancies by 2030
This could affect a significant portion of the housing stock: Approximately 2.58 million (52%), half of all rental properties, have an EPC below C. According to CE UK’s 2023 scorecards, 71% of “council owned social housing” meets EPC C or above, but only 43% of UK homes overall. Yet, other reports, like the 2025 ‘Energy Efficiency of Homes’ document from the government, state that 52% of all homes do.
Government statistics also show that In Q1 of 2024, 36% of “existing dwellings” in England and Wales had an EER rated D and 8% rated E (figure 1). However, the proposed MEES legislation only applies to rented homes, either social or private, and the consultation states that EPCs rated C or above, issued before the future planned EPC reforms in 2026, will remain valid until they expire under existing rules.
To support compliance, and amongst other consulted issues, the MEES consultation proposes:
Raising the landlord’s “cash cap” for improvements from £3,500 to £15,000 (or £10,000 for “affordability exemptions”) to cover the ‘real costs’
Requiring updated EPCs when the current ones expire
New EPC methodology
Increasing fines from £5,000 to £30,000 per property
These proposed changes are part of a potential broader suite of reforms like 1) The Renters Rights Bill (currently at the committee stage in the House of Lords), outlined later in the article, and 2) the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill, attempting to make it a statutory requirement for “public bodies to contribute to [the] delivery of targets set under the Environment Act 2021 and Climate Change Act 2008.”
If passed, these MEES and EPC changes could represent a significant overhaul of rental energy standards, making enforcement and a council’s ability to act all the more critical. The previous Conservative government proposed these EPC C targets by 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for existingin the now-shelved Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings (No. 2) Bill tabled in 2021 but benched in 2023. Similar ideas and more are currently on the table.
Conflict
On BBC Breakfast, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband defended the proposed amendments to PRP Regulations 2015 legislation provided power by the Energy Act 2011 (which included the Green Deal) that stated 1 April 2018 as the latest date for regulations (section 43).Miliband cites average upgrade costs of £6,000 (£6,100–£6,800, as stated in the consultation document) needed to bring rented properties up to the newly proposed standard.
However, the National Residential Landlords Association Chief Executive Ben Beadle argues that some landlords may leave the market or raise rent to pass the potential costs of upgrades onto the tenant, especially in low-yield areas. He stated it would take over 10 years, £20bn for the sector, with grants not covering. Critics say the reforms are overly burdensome and could shrink PRS supply.
Miliband countered these concerns, citing survey data suggesting tenant support and landlord willingness to upgrade. He said, “I believe, and organisations that represent renters believe, this will benefit renters.”
The Case for MEES Reform
‘Where the Heat Goes’ image from an Energise Sussex Coast training day.
According to Better Housing, Better Health, upgrading a home from EPC E to C could save the tenant £520 a year in energy costs. Homes rated E cost up to £1,208 more annually than the most efficient ones. C-rated homes cost £688 more. Insulation upgrades, double glazing and boiler upgrades can reduce energy bills and emissions, helping households cope with rising energy caps like the 6.4% increase from April–June 2025.
Poor housing efficiency is also a health issue. Cold homes worsen respiratory illness and place pressure on the NHS. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says E–G rated homes are far more likely to result in cold-related illness or fuel poverty.
The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) seventh carbon budget calls for an EPC C minimum to meet net zero and for heating systems like heat pumps to become more economically “attractive” than gas boilers. The government acknowledges MEES and enforcing landlord obligations as one of CCC’s “top 10 priority actions.” CCC has repeatedly called for governments to review EPC metrics so they are optimised for measuring emission reduction.
Groups like Friends of the Earth and the Centre for Sustainable Energy recommend councils appoint MEES officers to enforce rules and support landlords. These officers could issue notices and penalties, maintain compliance records, and publish data to hold landlords publicly accountable, but more importantly, work with landlords.
Why MEES Enforcement Lags
According to CE UK’s 2023 scorecards, only three district or borough councils out of the 164 asked, South Derbyshire, Thanet, and West Lindsey, enforced MEES in over 100 homes between 2021/22.119 took no action, and 42 issued between “1-100 compliance or enforcement notices…”. In 2021–22, three-quarters of single-tier and district/borough councils were not actively enforcing MEES.
Although the forthcoming 2025 CE UK scorecards might paint a slightly improved picture regarding MEES enforcement, unsurprisingly, a key reason given by councils when CMS law did their research in 2023 appears to be resourcing. Due to budget constraints, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils said that MEES isn’t a priority. Merton Council, which shares regulatory services with these boroughs, only recently advertised for a MEES officer, showing a change. Worcestershire similarly cited cuts to its small trading standards team. As CMS law noted, there’s been a 25% decrease in trading standards inspectors from 2014 – 2024 and a 32% decrease in trading standards budgets from 2010 – 2019.
One way MEES enforcement costs could be countered is by recovering unpaid financial MEES penalties as debt owed to the enforcement authority, a process enabled by the PRP regulations 2015 (part 3, 45). Another is to recoup any penalties. However, many councils lack ringfenced funding or political will to set the project up to outline all properties EPC and hire an enforcer, keeping MEES low on the agenda.
How Eastbourne Borough Council Performs on MEES Enforcement
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a median EPC rating of C for Eastbourne. However, a closer look at the government’s EPC database reveals properties with expired or F-rated EPCs (although further clarification is needed to show if they are in the rented sector). Median figures can hide housing disparities – older buildings, HMOs, and low-income areas tend to have poorer energy standards.
CE UK gave Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) zero points for MEES enforcement on the 2023 scorecards. Freedom of Information (FOI) data was used to answer Q1.8 of the scorecard’s “Buildings and Heating” section, asking whether councils actively enforce MEES, and showed no notices or penalties issued by EBC. The council also scored just 1 out of 3 points for EPC C coverage, suggesting only 50–60% of homes and buildings meet EPC C. Higher points were available for 60%+ and 90%+ coverage.
Other areas in which EBC were marked down on at the time of scoring (but has made some progress on since) included retrofit progress on council-owned buildings, fully costed council-housing retrofit plans, powering council operations by renewable energy and an increase in the efficiency of its council housing stock. EBC scored 64% overall in the Buildings and Heating section.
According to available data, EBC is the landlord of 3,441 council homes (Housing Ombudsman 2023-24). Out of the town’s roughly 45,609 homes, around 18,061 homes in Eastbourne are rented, according to the 2021 census. 13% are ‘social rented’, and 26.6% are ‘private rented’, totalling 39.6%. Based on the current EER ratings, 2.8% of all ‘existing and new’ properties in England and Wales (Q1 2024) fall below E. This potentially means 1277 properties in Eastbourne, and 39.6% of those (505) equating to the private rented sector. If approximately half the rented sector is currently below C, then that would possibly include roughly 9,030 properties potentially needing improvement in Eastbourne if the law changes. However, applying these national-based formulas likely obscures Eastbourne’s actual figure due to housing stock differences between national and local statistics – something a MEES officer could clarify.
In council documents, EBC and its councillors have stated that they wish to improve the private rented sector. Under the ‘Housing and Energy’ and ‘Energy Efficiency’ sections of their website, they list services, like the Warm Home Check Service (via East Sussex County Council (ESCC)) and the Home Upgrade Grant (phase 2), providing a consortium bid EBC was a part of with a ringfenced £2.9 million (announced 22 March 2023) a scheme which ended 31 March 2025. EBC acknowledges MEES on their website and talks about energy efficiency in their preparation documents for the new, improved Local Plan, which will be forthcoming later this year as stated in the recent Eastbourne Local Development Scheme plans.
In their 2024 annual report, in the “Improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and lower bills” section, EBC states, “Annual targets for 2024 have been achieved in the last year of the current contract. Number of Warm and Well Helpline cases supported, number of Warm Home Check visit assessments completed & % of WHC clients receiving a major heating or insulation measure funded by ECO or grant.” EBC also cites how ESCC are seeking to, from April 2025, “offer a single-point-of-contact home energy efficiency and fuel poverty reduction advice and signposting service for anyone in East Sussex living in a cold home.”
EBC seems to be partly taking the lead from ESCC and national services regarding energy efficiency advice services. Nationally, the government has promoted schemes like ECO4, The HUG, The Local Grant, zero-VAT insulation, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering £7,500 to transition to “low carbon heating systems including heat pumps and biomass boiler.” These changes comprise the government’s broader plans within the Warm Homes Plan, Future Homes Standard, the creation of Great British Energy, and the Climate and Nature Bill.
Reactive and Proactive Approaches
Despite the buildings and heating progress EBC has made in their decarbonisation project, surveying their stock and solar projects and so on, outlined in their annual reports since 2020 and prior documents, it appears that EBC and other councils have taken a fairly reactive approach to MEES, offering services and waiting for private tenants or landlords to come forward. This is evidenced more sharply by other councils, like North East Lincolnshire Council, which told CMS law, “the authority reacts to complaints received.”
By contrast, Wealden District Council appointed a MEES officer who provides direct landlord contact and exemption guidance. Other councils are also hiring MEES officers, which could be reflected in the national update on the CE UK scorecards forthcoming in June 2025.
One problem with reactive enforcement is that tenants in vulnerable situations may fear eviction or rent increases if they report poor conditions. This is especially problematic while Section 21 no-fault evictions remain legal, despite government pledges to ban them in the Renters Rights Bill. 82% of 208 councils approached by CMS Law in 2023 said they take an “intelligence-led approach” in reacting to complaints.
Eastbourne has a lot of older housing stock, some of which is in the PRS. In the ‘Conservation Area’ of Eastbourne (see the 2017 Conservation Consultation), housing is distinguished between two key eras: 1850 – 1870 and 1880 – 1910.
A Note on the Renters Rights Bill
Although MEES was the central topic of this article. It’s hard not to mention that running alongside MEES reform is the Renters Rights Bill (2025). These proposed changes combined could significantly change the housing and energy sectors. Amongst other things, the bill proposes:
Ban Section 21 “no-fault” evictions
Cap rent increases at one per year under Section 13 rules
Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS
Apply Awaabs’s law to the PRS to address health hazards like mould and damp within timeframes
Introduce a PRS property database and ombudsman
Ban bidding wars and DSS discrimination
Conclusion
MEES remains a crucial but underused tool as the UK targets net-zero and better housing standards. Councils hold the power but often lack the capacity, funding, or political will to act decisively.
EBC has made environmentally friendly building and heating decisions but has lagged in MEES enforcement. As stricter thresholds loom, councils may need to boost their MEES response, especially in areas with older housing and large PRS sectors.
Clear national guidance, local resources, and strong tenant protections will be key. Monitoring local outcomes as new policy unfolds will show what truly works.
What Can Be Done Now?
If funding allowed, EBC could take five realistic steps:
Appoint a MEES Officer – reallocate staff or use grants to create the role
Publish Annual MEES and EPC Data – track progress and improve targeting
Engage Landlords Proactively – briefings, plain-language guidance, webinar support
Embed MEES in the forthcoming Local Plan – integrate enforcement into future policy
Empower Tenants – offer advice, grant knowledge, and support networks, which councils do under the current reactive approach.
Generally, a successful proactive approach adopted by councils nationwide will significantly impact the dual problem of fuel poverty and emission reductions.
Have your say on the MEES consultation before 2 May 2025; the survey is accessible here.
In anticipation of the forthcoming Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030 Symposium on Saturday April 26th at Emmanuel Church, Upperton Road, Eastbourne (free tickets bookable here), Andrew Durling, Executive Director of the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC, provides a personal perspective:
The phrase ‘carbon neutrality’ sounds very dry and technical, doesn’t it? Hardly a phrase to set the pulse racing! But let’s unpack what the phrase really means and why we should actually get very excited about it.
First off, there’s nothing neutral about carbon itself. Far from it, carbon is one of the most positive and amazing things one can talk about.
For carbon is the fundamental building block of all life on Earth. Its unique ability to form stable bonds with itself and other elements allows for the creation of the complex molecules that make up living organisms, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. Without carbon, life as we know it would not exist.
But because carbon manifests in so many different forms and interacts in so many ways with so many other elements and life forms, it forms one of the key cycles on Earth, helping to maintain a dynamic equilibrium of Earth’s ecosystems. This carbon cycle is the continuous movement of carbon atoms between the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. This cycle is crucial for sustaining life in several ways:
Regulation of Earth’s Temperature: Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat and keeping the planet at a habitable temperature. The carbon cycle helps regulate the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Foundation of Food Webs: Through photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into organic compounds, forming the base of most food webs. Animals obtain carbon by consuming plants or other animals.
Nutrient Availability: The decomposition of organic matter returns carbon to the soil, providing essential nutrients for plant growth.
Ocean Chemistry: The ocean absorbs a significant amount of atmospheric CO2, influencing its chemistry and supporting marine life.
But, human activities, particularly the burning of carbon in the form of fossil fuels and deforestation, have significantly disrupted the natural carbon cycle, leading to an increase in atmosphericCO2 concentrations. This enhancement of the greenhouse effect is the primary driver of global warming and climate change, posing existential challenges to human societies and ecosystems worldwide. Understanding and managing our impact on the carbon cycle is crucial for ensuring a sustainable future for human life on Earth. Carbon neutrality is therefore simply a technical way of saying that we care about the carbon cycle and want to restore it to its normal function of sustaining all life.
So we need to bring the carbon cycle back into balance, by significantly reducing carbon emissions and capturing the carbon emitted through activities like tree planting and soil restoration, so that the excess of carbon emitted is balanced, or neutralised, by an increased ability of the land and ocean to absorb the excess carbon; hence the term ‘carbon neutrality’. Now, each one of us can assist in this process in a myriad of ways. But we have to be strongly motivated to do so, otherwise we won’t collectively engage with the carbon neutrality strategy with the necessary enthusiasm that such a great challenge demands.
Of course, we each have our own motivations for engaging with carbon neutrality, or climate actions and sustainability strategies in general. But here’s my perspective, one that helps to keep me motivated anyway: what greater motivation can there be than for each of us to feel we can become an integral part of the work of Gaia, our planetary home personified by the Ancient Greeks as the Earth Mother? Gaia was the name given by renowned scientist James Lovelock to Earth’s ability to function as if it were a living system, regulating itself constantly to keep the planet viable for all life. So whatever we do to facilitate carbon neutrality could be seen as an act of care towards Gaia – Earth as a living being – and a gesture of solidarity with all of life, even – especially if one is religiously or spiritually inclined – a demonstration of one’s love for all of God’s creation. With this recognition of a deeper meaning to engagement with carbon neutrality, then any action in support of it becomes meaningful and positive in itself, affirming one’s deep connection with all of life and all that supports life, especially the carbon cycle itself.
Therefore, whatever targets are set, like making Eastbourne carbon neutral by 2030, becomes achievable simply because it is no longer just a technical exercise but rather something that is ethically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually good and worthy in itself. Furthermore, the strength of the collective motivation of all those strongly engaged in actions that facilitate carbon neutrality becomes enough to enable any target, including the 2030 target, to be met whatever the challenges may be, just as the collective motivation of the British people in 1940 to stand up against the threat of fascism despite incredible odds was enough to ensure not only that defeat was avoided but that victory over fascism would eventually be achieved.
Perhaps ‘carbon neutrality’ should be replaced with a new phrase? How about ‘carbon positivity’? Any other suggestions?
This Symposium follows on from the first one held in 2024 and will look at
What is happening locally to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2030?
What more can we do?
The venue for this event is Emmanuel Church, a modern building run by a team that has won a coveted Eco Church award for its efforts to meet high environmental and sustainability standards.
A variety of speakers will provide the background for the Carbon Neutral 2030 campaign and review the progress made so far, followed by reports on major EEAN initiatives of 2025. Our keynote speakers are Professor Scarlett McNally and Richard Watson, OBE.
Finally, there will be a plenary incorporating a Q&A session chaired by Lord Ralph Lucas to explore the pathway we need to take collectively as a community for the next 5 years, and particularly for the next year, to help achieve the 2030 target.
Spaces will be limited, so please book your free ticket as soon as possible. Refreshments will be provided free of charge.
Making sense of the new fare structures in East Sussex.
The £2 fare cap was introduced in September 2022 to make bus travel more affordable and to encourage more people to travel by bus. It also helped to make bus travel less confusing. Most adult fares were £2 so we knew how much each journey would cost.
The difference between the true fare and the £2 cap was made up from national government funding with money set aside extended to the end of 2024. The fare cap has been successful in bringing more people back to buses, but real and lasting change doesn’t happen overnight and the new government sensibly decided to extend the fare cap into 2025. However, the maximum fare has increased from £2 to £3. Some local authorities and operators have taken this change as an opportunity to review tickets and see whether lower fares can be offered.
Will you pay £1, £2 or £3?
East Sussex County Council have worked with local bus operators to reduce the impact of the higher fare cap using Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) money, which is separate to the national fare cap funding. There are now three single fares for adults, £1, £2 and £3.
On January 1st, some fares went down to £1, some stayed at £2 and some went up to £3. The fare you pay depends on the actual fare set by the bus operator – what you would pay if there wasn’t a national cap.
The table below compares the uncapped fare with what you pay now.
Uncapped fare
You Pay
Under £2
£1
£2 – £2.99
£2
£3 or more
£3
As we have got so used to paying £2 fares, it’s hard to know what the fares for trips would be without the cap.
The safest way to find out what your bus journey will cost before you travel, is to check the bus operator web pages or use their apps (see links to bus operators below.)
At the time of writing, the same journey can have different costs with different bus operators. For example, a journey from Willingdon Church Street to Polegate currently costs £2 on Stagecoach buses and £3 on Brighton & Hove buses.The good news from the East Sussex BSIP team is that bus operators are currently reviewing some of their fares and adjusting them to make them more consistent. Watch this space.
Children’s fares are not capped in East Sussex, but they start from 50p.
Read on to find out about ways to travel for less.
Find the deal for you ...
Are you travelling with children?
Adult fare payers or concessionary pass holders can bring up to four children under the age of 19, for 50 pence each. You must travel with all of the children for their whole journey.
For children travelling without an adult, see ‘Are you under 19?’ below.
Are you catching more than one bus?
Remember, the fare cap applies to a single bus journey. If your journey involves catching two buses, the total price could be anything between £2 and £6 each way. Better deals are available and we’ve highlighted some of the best deals below.
Return fares
Stagecoach no longer offer return tickets, but check what the return fare is with Brighton & Hove Buses, Compass or Cuckmere as this may save you money.
Day Rider ticket
If your journey involves more than one bus, then an East Sussex Day Rider ticket may be your best option. Bus operators offer their own day rider ticket for use on their buses only. You can also buy the East Sussex multi-operator Day Rider ticket for use on: Stagecoach, Brighton & Hove Buses, Metrobus, Compass, Cuckmere, Big Lemon and Wealden Community Transport services within East Sussex.
A multi-operator day ticket will cost you:
£3.75 if you are under 19
£4.75 if you are 19-29
£6.10 if you are 30 or over
You can buy an East Sussex multi-operator ticket from the bus operators: either use the app or buy from the driver on the bus. If you are buying from the driver, be very clear you want a multi-operator ticket – they often assume you want one just for their services.
You can use multi-operator tickets on bus services within the East Sussex County Council area. Note that this area does not include Brighton & Hove, but if your trip starts or ends in East Sussex, you can use your Day Rider ticket. For example, if you travel from Eastbourne to Brighton on the 12, or 28 bus, you can use your ticket. If you make a trip that starts in Brighton and ends in Brighton, you cannot use your ticket. Similarly, you can travel from Eastbourne to Tunbridge Wells in Kent and back again on Stagecoach bus 51, using a multi-operator ticket, but you cannot use an East Sussex ticket on a journey that starts and ends in Kent.
If you are under 30 and want to buy a discounted ticket, you can use the ESCC Age Verification app. 3-ID cards can also be used as proof of age, along with official documents such as a passport or driving license, but you may not want to carry these official documents around with you.
Are you under 19? (deals for school age children)
These fares are for unaccompanied children:
The East Sussex weekly Freedom Pass for under 19s is still £15. With this bus pass, you can have unlimited travel (on as many bus services as you like with as many operators as you like) on any bus in the East Sussex area for seven days in a row, at all times and days of the year. (This price may be changed at end of July 2025.) The Freedom Pass is a paper ticket which you must buy on the bus. Use the ESCC Age Verification app to prove your age.
Off-peak travel (after 6pm on school days and anytime on weekends, bank holidays and school holidays) Unaccompanied children (under 19s) pay £1 for a single fare during off-peak hours.
If you travel to and from school within the Eastbourne and Hailsham travel zone (see below), Stagecoach offer a 7 day ‘Eastbourne child weekly ticket’ for £13.50. This is a paper ticket sold on the bus. It is not available from their app. To buy this ticket you will need to be in school uniform, or carry a valid 3iD card. See Stagecoach information on fare deals for travelling to school, (also covers the annual Student Rider bus pass).
If you don’t travel every day
Stagecoach Flexi tickets with Stagecoach app
Flexi tickets are designed for people who have different travel patterns, for example hybrid workers who don’t have to travel to work every day. You can buy
Flexi5 – 5 Day Rider tickets for the price of 4, or
Flexi10 – 10 Day Rider tickets for the price of 7
Flexi tickets allow you to travel any time of day within specific zones. You can choose which days you want to travel on, as long as you use all tickets within 12 months of purchasing them. You can buy Flexi tickets for the Eastbourne network zone, or for the Southeast network.
The Eastbourne network zonecovers Eastbourne, Willingdon, Polegate, Hailsham, Upper Horsebridge, Roebuck Park, Stone Cross, Pevensey, Westham and everything in between.
The Southeast network zone covers bus services across Kent and East Sussex. (for example Canterbury, Ashford, Ramsgate, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, New Romney, Lydd, Rye, Tenterden, Northiam, Hawkhurst, Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea, Pevensey, and Eastbourne network.) You need a mobile phone and the Stagecoach app to buy and use Flexi tickets.
Eastbourne Area Bus Zone - click on the image to go to original document.
Going out for the evening? (from 6pm)
With the Stagecoach South East EveningRider you can have unlimited travel for one evening on all Stagecoach buses in the South East region until 04:00 the following day – adult fare £4.50
EveningRider group fares
The Stagecoach South East Group EveningRider is a new offer for up to five people travelling together in the evening. Five adults can travel together for one evening for £10.
Other group tickets from Stagecoach include East Sussex Group Day Rider, South East Group DayRider – see Stagecoach Group tickets
New (almost!) double decker buses have appeared on the Stagecoach Eastbourne route 1A in recent weeks, featuring audio announcements of next stops. This is very important for anyone with sight impairment, but reassuring for everyone on the bus – especially those new to bus travel or unfamiliar with the area. In due course, all buses will be required to install this facility giving us a ’step change’ in the quality of bus travel. The display on the front of these buses is in clear ‘white on black’ type, a departure from the current coloured type. Seating is comfortable and charging points standard.
New Improvements
ESCC EVENT- DISPLAYS ON SHOW:
Other improvements are to follow in due course including those unveiled at County Hall in mid-January. An invited audience of groups and individuals saw examples of bus stop information displays designed to help those with sight impairment, while benefiting all users. A large number of bus stops in East Sussex, Brighton and Hove (220) will see these installed, including an audio version with instructions in braille.
Maintaining and Improving Reliability of our Buses
Services restored and increased though the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) over the last year have added journey opportunities and attracted new passengers. Their voices are now heard through bus user groups set up in Eastbourne and Hastings areas where concerns are aired and opportunities for improvements discussed with local authorities and bus operators. Improvements there certainly have been and more are in the pipeline with bus priority measures coming for Eastbourne to benefit bus services on the Hailsham – Stone Cross – North Langney – Seaside corridor as well as the Hailsham – Polegate – Willingdon – DGH – Eastbourne corridor. These are congestion busters!
BRIGHTON. AND HOVE ‘COASTER’ SERVICE 12 PASSING EXCEAT – SEVEN SISTERS COUNTRY PARK
To the west, the success of the popular Brighton and Hove 12/12X13X routes is worthy of note. The proposals between Eastbourne and Brighton are key to its continuing success and development against a backdrop of congestion hotspots, so we strongly support those measures proposed for: A259 Upperton Road – Station Parade, Eastbourne; A259 Newhaven, The Drove – Denton Roundabout; A259 Telscombe Cliffs – Peacehaven.
Conclusion
Buses are certainly getting better: wi-fi is now standard along with the ‘kneeling’ function to allow easy access for all.
Derrick Coffee
EEAN Transport Group
By the 1980’s bus services in England were in decline, with rising costs, increasing subsidies and so in order to address this problem the government of the time decided to deregulate bus services. This meant that private bus operators were allowed to set up bus routes, timetables, services and fares. This process was not a disaster, but the ever-increasing popularity of the private car weakened the need for buses. What we have now is a patchwork of bus operators who prioritised the most profitable routes at the cost of reducing services on less attractive routes such as those in rural areas.
Bus companies do not have to make all their bus routes profitable and to their credit they do run some routes at a loss paid for by more profitable routes.
Currently most bus routes in the Eastbourne and South Wealden area are operated by Stagecoach but East Sussex County Council (ESCC) subsidise some non-commercial bus routes mainly in rural areas, additionally ESCC also operate the free bus pass scheme for older people.
Bus Back Better
Buses are the most important form of public transport in England accounting for 53% of public transport journeys. But the number of bus users and bus miles is falling. In 2023 bus passenger numbers fell to 3.4 billion from 4.6 billion in 2009.
In March 2021 the Department for Transport announced their plans to improve bus services in England via ‘Bus Back Better’. This resulted in roll out of Bus Service Improvement Plans including Enhanced Partnerships (EP) and franchising options, but very few bus franchising schemes have been introduced.
What is an Enhanced Partnership (EP)?
An EP is a model through which the local transport authority and bus operators jointly agree a plan to improve bus services. The plan is a voluntary arrangement and attracts funding from government.
East Sussex County Council currently operate an EP with declared aims such as:
• Improving fares and ticketing
• Improving bus infrastructure
• Introducing bus priority measures
• Reduce harmful emissions
• Improve digital accessibility
• Improve public transport information
Inside of Bus
What is Franchising?
Franchising is a model of providing bus services where Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) such as county councils take control of how buses are run, this could be on a specific route or a particular area and ask bus operators to bid to operate these routes.
The LTA would specify the route, frequency of service, timetable and fares. The current government is keen to further improve bus services and so is encouraging LTA’s to introduce franchising schemes.
Franchising is not a new idea and is the model currently used in London, the Channel Islands and in many regions and cities in Europe. Greater Manchester has, this month, just finalised the third tranche of their franchise network and Liverpool are well underway in their planning.
Why we need good bus services?
Bus Stop
• There are many people in society that do not have the luxury of having their own car or motorcycle and to them good bus services are vital.
• There are those that are unable to drive or are too young to drive, they too need good bus services.
• Buses connect our communities and allow access for many to health, leisure and education services.
• Good bus services can also get people out of their cars and so free up road space which will assist in making buses more reliable.
• Using buses will help us reach our carbon reduction targets.
• Less traffic on our roads will lead to less pollution.
• If bus services become more profitable through greater passenger numbers, then funding can be invested in electric buses.
Cambridge and Peterborough consultation document
Some thoughts:
• Analysis seems to show that franchising brings more benefits.
• Enhanced partnerships will mean less financial risk to transport authorities.
• In a shrinking economy can we afford to place a greater financial burden on local authorities?
• The main opposition to bus services is the private car, which is just too convenient, this will not change without a huge shift in public values which is not going to happen soon, if at all.
• Do local transport authorities have the expertise to operate bus ticket strategies, bus fare policy, network design, bus timetables etc?
• The setting up of a franchise scheme would have very large set up costs.
• Perhaps a compromise position could be reached whereby some areas have a franchise scheme while neighbouring areas have an Enhanced Partnership?
• Most franchising schemes that are currently in place or are being planned are in locations with high population densities such as Manchester and Liverpool. East Sussex is very much a rural area and hence will be more costly to operate a bus service.
Unitary Authorities
In January 2025 East Sussex County Council applied with West Sussex County Council and Brighton City Council to become a Mayoral Strategic Authority. It is reported that this could unlock significant power and resources to these areas. Transport could be one area to benefit if more funding becomes available as the authority could potentially introduce franchising schemes.
Conclusion
At the end of the day either the Franchise or the current Enhanced Partnership model will improve bus services in the area.
David Everson
Eastbourne ECO Action Network
Jan 2025
Transport and Planning integration is the key to a sustainable, healthy future.
In the big battle against climate change, the one missing yet key weapon in the armoury, accepted by all policy makers for decades but infuriatingly absent in practice, is the full integration of ’transport’ and ‘planning’.
We must abandon ‘silo thinking’ around ‘transport’ and ‘planning’. They should be integrated to avoid the procession of car based developments being delivered across the UK. Until that happens, we won’t increase the take-up of shared transport (bus/train/tram) and increase levels of walking and cycling necessary to meet targets. At the same time it will improve the nation’s physical and mental health.
Fewer cars will free up space for nature, housing, business and children’s play and reduce congestion. Policy documents have recognised this over 50 years: delivery on the ground is sadly the exception. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) must deliver such integration if it is to be fit for purpose. Failure to do so would be unfair both to current and future generations.
Based on a letter published Jan 2025 in iNews
Derrick Coffee
There seems to be a reluctance for people to install heat pumps even though there is a generous grant of £7500 to help with installation costs. The government’s target to install 600,000 per year has been woefully missed with only 72,000 installed in 2022. Recent surveys show that only 16% of people are likely to install a heat pump in the foreseeable future. Part of the reason for the low uptake is misinformation in some sections of the media. The cost of fitting an ASHP to a 3 bedroom property is about £12,500, but the actual cost becomes £5,000 when the grant is taken into account, this is comparable to fitting a new gas boiler.
Fear of the unknown!
Many people are unsure about heat pump technology, even though virtually the same technology has been used in fridges for over 100 years. Other concerns are about noise, where to place the heat pump, the potential need for larger radiators in the home. Heat pumps run off electricity, which is expensive when compared to gas – sooner the government stops using electricity prices to subsidise gas prices the better it will be for the uptake of heat pumps. Of course, not many people are going to remove an operational gas boiler just to have a heat pump installed, although that is exactly what I did just over a year ago.
Why install a Heat Pump?
Heat Pump
I decided to install an air source heat pump, solar PV and battery storage in order to make my home carbon free in terms of its energy supply. Virtually everyone is going to have to have a carbon free energy source by 2050. The sooner we do it the better if we are to restrict climate change to manageable levels.
How does an Air Source Heat Pump work?
• Electrical energy is used to operate the air source heat pump • Air is drawn into the pump and energy is removed from air which makes it colder • The energy extracted from the air is passed on by the heat pump to heat the domestic hot water or heat the home via radiators.
Magic, well not really!
. Process Map
Because the energy taken from the outside air is free the system works very effectively. If the heat pump uses 1 Unit of electricity from the grid it can provide 3 Units of energy to the home. The energy I purchase to run the heat pump is from carbon free sources, hence no carbon is emitted in providing energy to my home.
Things to consider!
Water Tank
• The heat pump needs to be placed outside with unrestricted air flow around it. • The pump can’t be placed within 1 metre of a property boundary. • The pump needs to be as close as possible to the hot water tank so as to reduce heat losses. • The system stores hot water rather than producing it on demand • The heat pump can’t have a volume greater than 0.6 m³ due to current planning regulations. Most companies design their domestic heat pumps to be just less than 0.6m³
• Central heating radiators will potentially need to be replaced with ones that have a larger surface area, this is relatively easy to do.
Radiator
• The heat pump makes very little noise and can’t be heard inside the house. • Currently most heat pump systems are ‘low temperature’ in that the radiators do not get very hot as they would with a gas boiler. This means that rooms take longer to heat up. • Heat pumps work best in well insulated houses (as do gas boilers).
Does it work and at what cost to maintain?
Yes it works. My heat pump provides both hot water and heating throughout the year and there have been no problems. Maintenance is done via an annual service which costs £112 /year.
Over the past year, 2024, the heat pump took 2700 Units of electricity (kWh) to run. But because the heat pump captures free energy from the outside air, the total energy output I got from the system was 6750 kWh –(this figure was somewhat disappointing as expectations were for 8100 kWh- the system has now been recalibrated and hopefully next year the higher figure will be achieved).
Do the Maths.
• If I take 2700 Units from the grid and 1 Unit of electricity costs £0.25 then the cost of running the heat pump to provide household heating and hot water for a year is: £0.25 x 2700 = £675 • The energy out of the heat pump system in terms of hot water and room heating is worth:£0.25 x 6750 = £1687 That is amazing!
How to find out about heat pumps?
• Check with your energy supplier, many now install heat pumps as part of their services. • Costs will vary depending on the size of your property, the type of heat pump.
Free information session
There is a free session on Air Source Heat Pumps to be run by Eastbourne Eco Action Network and Energise Sussex Coast on Tuesday 28th January from 7-9pm, in the Willingdon Trees Community Centre. For more information, contact Eastbourne Eco Action Network. See you there?
David Everson Eastbourne Eco Action Network Jan 2025
What would make the biggest difference to reducing the ‘Killed and Seriously Injured’ (KSIs) on the roads in East Sussex ? The answer looks like 20mph. This has been shown to be true in Europe and the UK. So why is East Sussex failing to understand this and will the May 2025 County elections make a difference to the approach?
ESCC Current Policy
One of the ongoing issues within East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is their determination to stick to their current policy PS05/02 towards 20 mph zones and limits. There have been numerous motions, from opposition councillors, to change their approach but all have failed. This has also meant that in the latest list of planned improvements there are none around 20mph.
Elsewhere in UK
So what would a lower limit of 20 mph do? Remembering that most higher speed limits, such as 40, 50 and 70 mph would stay the same.
Wales – 20 mph in Wales achieved a 23% reduction of KSIs for the country as a whole
Similar reductions have been seen in parts of Scotland and councils such as Oxford. It would appear that across the UK nothing has made as much of a difference to reducing KSI figures as 20mph .
One of the concerns is that drivers will not accept the 20mph. However research from DfT shows poor compliance at higher speeds. Plus having some vehicles been driven at 20mph may well affect the behaviour of others
Even if the number of incidents stayed the same the severity of injury is less, if the speed limit is reduced.
ESCC overall approach
So now it is worth examining neighbours, where East Sussex is worse than equivalent councils
Source West Sussex
So one view, might be that ESCC are trapped by their own bureaucracy, in reducing all their interventions to very small scale schemes. This does not have a major effect on the overall KSIs and keeps East Sussex at 150% (See above) of the England KSI average per mile. Currently large sums are spent on consultation, Traffic regulation orders, match funding, sifting, rejecting, reviews and very little on delivery and construction. This is not the most cost-effective option.
The main arguments put forward by ESCC are:-
20 mph limits only reduce speeds by 1 or 2 mph
There will be a greater burden of the Police
The ESCC targeted approach is better
To be effective, speed limits need to be set at a level which appears reasonable to a driver
They do not have sufficient funds to meet all the 20mph requests.
Item 4. Above should be re-worded to read, ‘where it is reasonable to a pedestrian’, who is after all the most vulnerable road user.
For more background it is worth reading the full ESCC Scrutiny Review of 20mph You can follow their logic. But the key question is, ‘Has their existing policy made a difference?’ Yes, perhaps safety is increased in very small, selected areas but overall on a county wide basis the numbers are still poor when compared to other counties.
RoSPA
Now let us look at the evidence of how 20 mph limits and zones do make a significant difference. This is an excellent review by the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents and gives a good analysis of where they have been implemented.
“ 20 mph limits have been shown to reduce traffic speed, although not as much as 20mph zones with traffic calming. However, they are considerably less expensive to implement, which means that wider areas can be covered. They also provide additional benefits, such as encouraging more physical activity, such as walking and cycling. They can also greatly improve the character of a residential area and quality of life of the residents. 20mph limits are most appropriate for roads where average speeds are already low… and use of the road also gives the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate. “
So is there hope for the future in the Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4)? Covering up to 2050. The answer is not encouraging, with ESCC sticking to the same mantras:
“The delivery of lower speed limits including 20mph speed limits and zones in the County is done in accordance with East Sussex County Council adopted Policy PS05/02. This policy reflects national guidance and best practice for setting speed limits.”and “The LTP4 policies clearly highlighted that the adopted ESCC Policy PS05/02 is the determinant for setting lower speed limits in the county”
Other links
For further reading There is plenty of evidence and examples at
• East Sussex has a much higher than average number of KSIs
• The current approach of small piecemeal interventions, of all types of schemes, is not making enough difference to overall road safety. Spending large amounts resisting and rejecting schemes rather than implementing.
• Higher speed limits do not make for good ‘placemaking’, a requirement of LTP4
It is hoped that the May 2025 Council elections will change the balance of power and result in a different direction.
Looking back on 2024, it’s clear that the transition to a Net Zero Eastbourne is gathering pace. Eastbourne DGH, through its decarbonisation project which started in 2022, has now become the first renewable heated hospital in the UK after having replaced its steam heating system with a 4.8MWth multi-stage heat pump system, which provides renewable heat to the building. Coupled with the solar PV array over one of its car parks, and a major insulation retrofit to improve the thermal efficiency of the hospital, the DGH will now be reducing its carbon emission by 4,100 tonnes per annum, amount to a cumulative total of 24,600 tonnes by 2030, a significant contribution towards the town’s Carbon Neutral 2030 target.
Another step change in Eastbourne’s renewable energy transition will occur when the Suncoast Solar Farm is built within the next few years, after having been granted planning permission by Eastbourne Borough Council earlier this year. When completed, the solar farm will have a capacity of 20MW, equivalent to supplying the power needs of 6,400 homes. This is a big step up from the mere 5 or 6 MW of solar power capacity currently installed across the borough. When local microgrids and regional energy pricing becomes a reality over the next decade or so, then the renewable power from the solar farm can be sold direct to local residents and businesses, reducing energy bills locally because solar power is so much cheaper than fossil fuels. There has understandably been much local concern about the need to protect the biodiversity of the site when the solar farm is built, and one of our members wrote a blog post about this issue, which can be adequately addressed if an appropriate biodiversity management plan is implemented, as many existing solar farms in the UK demonstrate.
But these large projects have to be supplemented by supporting individual households across the borough to gain access to renewable energy and energy efficiency installation schemes, as domestic properties account for more than 40% of the town’s overall carbon emissions. So Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) has this year continued to develop an ever stronger partnership with Energise Sussex Coast, an award-winning community energy cooperative. Together we have developed an Eastbourne Energy Champions network of trained volunteers able to give basic energy advice to local residents and signpost them to sources of expert help – such as Energise Sussex Coast provides – if they are in fuel poverty or need to make their homes warmer. A second round of Energy Champions training began in Eastbourne a couple of weeks ago and will continue in 2025, so if you wish to receive free training to become an Energy Champion volunteer, please let us know. The more, the merrier!
Another big source of carbon emissions in Eastbourne is the transport sector, which is not surprising given the high degree of dependence of the town on cars for moving around, coupled with the lack of Active Travel infrastructure such as safe cycle lanes. To raise awareness about the need to make local cycling safer, especially for kids going to school, the 4th Eastbourne Kidical Mass Bike Ride took place in May, which many EEAN members joined in with. The lack of bus lanes also restricts the quality and reliability of the local bus service, but progress toward rectifying this was achieved this year when East Sussex County Council approved plans to put bus lanes in Seaside, a key arterial road in town notorious for its traffic congestion. Many EEAN members engaged extensively with the consultation process in order to support the introduction of the bus lanes.
But further improvements are needed to local bus services to make travelling by bus a much better alternative to driving for local residents, which is why this year EEAN set up an Eastbourne Bus User Group, bringing together local stakeholders to collaborate on making these improvements. To encourage people to think about driving less, EEAN’s EcoTransport Group once again organised a Car Free Day in Eastbourne, in Hyde Gardens. EEAN also held a very productive workshop in February about the latest Local Transport Plan (LPT4) prepared by East Sussex County Council.
For a fuller picture of all that is being done in Eastbourne to make the town more sustainable and carbon free, please look at our One Planet Eastbourne community ecosystem digital platform, which is hosting plans made by some local businesses, including those who get free support from EEAN to help devise such plans. Some local businesses do show great climate leadership through their efforts to become more eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable, and Richard Garland gave a keynote speech at our Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030 Symposium earlier this year to explain how his business is progressing on its sustainability journey.
Given that the impacts of climate change are arriving thick and fast now, the need for climate adaptation is becoming ever more urgent. Part of such adaptation is figuring out how local food growing can be better protected from climate impacts such as increased flooding incidents, increased frequency and severity of droughts and heatwaves, and so on. EEAN has partnered up with Eastbourne Food Partnership and Blue Heart to investigate how local food growers are coping with such impacts and what strategies, if any, they are using to better adapt to those impacts. Part of that investigation involved visiting local groups involved in community food growing, such as Gather Community Garden, Pevensey Bay allotments, Pevensey & Westham Community Forest Garden, and Langney Community Centre. A presentation on EEAN’s research on local food growing and climate change was made at the recent Eastbourne Food Summit.
Other highlights this year was exhibiting at the Spring Water Festival Eco Fair, wonderfully organised by Plastic Free Eastbourne, and engaging with the pop-up Climate Hubs in the Beacon shopping centre in collaboration with volunteers from the Eastbourne Climate Coalition. We’ve also engaged with the hard-working volunteers of the Eastbourne United Nations Association, who have a fantastically effective carbon sequestration programme that is supported by many residents and organisations in the borough, as well as by Eastbourne Borough Council. It’s also worth a shout-out to the magnificent volunteers of Treebourne, an organisation EEAN helped to develop in its early days. Treebourne has planted many thousands of new trees across the town, which will not only help wildlife but also create vital shade to help significantly cool the streets and public spaces when the inevitable intense heatwaves arrive.
Eastbourne Borough Council continues to reduce its own carbon emissions, and the latest yearly update to its Climate Change Strategy is now available online. An independent assessment of the progress the council is making with its Climate Change Strategy, compared with all other comparable local councils, is available from Climate Emergency UK, which has a detailed scorecard for Eastbourne. EEAN continues to collaborate with the council on ways to develop and improve its climate strategy; to assist this collaboration, all the directors of EEAN have received the Certificate in Carbon Literacy from the Carbon Literacy Project after receiving training organised by Community Energy South.
EEAN also engages in the community consultation process that the Environment Agency organises regarding its Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme, which this year published its plans for protecting the local area from flooding for the period 2027 to 2037. The success of this scheme is vital if Eastbourne – a low-lying coastal community very much in the front line of climate change – is to have any kind of viable, sustainable future in the long-term.
But while we still have our present coastline to enjoy, another EEAN project this year was to design an upgrade to the East Sussex Coastal Culture Trail, a key tourist route that connects up some of Eastbourne’s cultural assets with other cultural assets all the way to Hastings. The upgrade is necessary due to the current lack of safe connectivity between destinations along the trail, especially for walkers and cyclists. Bringing together the many stakeholders who need to collaborate on such an upgrade was a key part of the project. To facilitate that, EEAN and Bespoke Cycle Group organised a Summer Cycle Ride for them so that they could see for themselves exactly where the upgrade is needed. With Active Travel improvements to the trail, the local tourist economy would benefit from increased visitor numbers, coupled with an increased uptake in cycling, facilitating a modal shift away from car driving along the coast.
To conclude, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation and thanks for the tremendous work of so many volunteers to help drive forward climate action locally, action which helps make the town better for all through co-benefits such as cleaner air, safer streets, greener public spaces, etc. We all deserve a rest over the festive period! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!
This Annual Review was prepared by EEAN’s Executive Director, Andrew Durling, who also prepared the Annual reviews for 2022 and 2023.
Guest blog by Robert McGowan from the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC, based on his presentation at the Eastbourne Food Summit in October 2024:
We at Eastbourne Eco Action Network are helping the town become carbon neutral by 2030, which means working with communities, businesses and the local councils on the many environmental challenges we face. One of the things we can do is bring people together and give people the chance to tell their stories and discuss openly the most effective ways to take action.
Two years ago, we organised the Sustainable Business & Solar Summit next door at the Welcome Building – and one of the key questions we wanted to ask was: we live in officially the sunniest town in the UK – so why is there so little solar energy generation? Particularly on the large flat roofs of the industrial and retail units – and the enormous car parks that surround them.
Last year we convened the Sustainable Transport & Active Travel Summit at the Welcome Building, which also brought together lots of experts and brilliant people. The leading question I wanted to ask was why Eastbourne is practically the only seaside town in the country without a safe, traffic-free way of riding a bicycle or scooter along the seafront. I’m not sure if we have the answer to that – but at least we publicly asked the question! Fast forward to this year – and the theme of the conference is sustainable food production and distribution in the local area – brilliantly organised by the Eastbourne Food Partnership. I’m not sure if they have a key question to frame the theme this year – but can I suggest one: how is it that the sunniest town in the UK can also seem to be one of the wettest?
Illustrated map of the Eastbourne area
Helen Cann, 2024
And it’s the impact of a changing climate on local food production – growing – that I’m going to talk about today. We’re currently working on a project with Blue Heart, which is looking at innovative ways to predict and mitigate the impact of flooding in Eastbourne and southern Wealden for the benefit of local people, businesses and the environment.
Learning about the real experiences of growing is the heart of our project – as such we have developed a survey that’ll go out to everyone involved in the Eastbourne Food Partnership in the next few days.
So the theme is change. But perhaps I should start with something that hasn’t changed very much at all: the rock and soil that lies beneath us. This is one of William Smith’s famous – and beautiful – geological maps of Sussex, from 1819. It shows the green of the chalk South Downs that of
course meets the sea at Beachy Head. The light blue is Wealden clay, and the greyish bit in the middle is Hastings Greensand – which is often more substantial than the word sand suggests and forms the blocks from which St Mary’s Church in Old Town is made.
Geological map of Sussex
William Smith, 1819. The Geological Society.
The open, treeless downland was created thousands of years ago by Neolithic farmers, who built imposing, fortified villages on hilltops. Much of the East Sussex downs continued to be farmed and grazed through the Iron age and Roman times. The great forests of the Weald were sometimes cleared for hunting estates in the Saxon period that would have included livestock and crops. The Sussex iron industry was built on the iron-bearing clays and sandstones that were scorched in blast furnaces fuelled by charcoal made from the surrounding woodland.
A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales and Part of Scotland
William Smith, 1815. The Geological Society.
And of course, the different underlying rocks and clays and their varying character and chemical composition had implications for what could be grown where – and the growing community here will be far more knowledgeable about that than I am. But, as George Monbiot points out in his brilliant book Regenesis, much about soil does remain mysterious:
“Soil is this thin cushion between rock and air on which the entirety of human society and civilization is built. 99% of our calories come from it. It’s an extraordinarily complex ecosystem.
It’s more than that – it’s a biological structure, like a coral reef. It’s built by the organisms that inhabit it. If it weren’t for those organisms, there would be no soil. But it’s also got properties, unlike any other ecosystem or biological structure that we know.
In fact, there’s quite a heated debate among some soil scientists as to what soil even is. It’s got some characteristics which make it seem almost like a super organism, in that they get these extra-ordinary synchronized events taking place right across the soil. It is incredible that this system upon which we totally depend is almost unknown to us.”
Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the 19th century. Four hamlets occupied the site of the modern town. By the middle of the 1800s most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowning families: the Gilberts (who had inherited land from the Gildredge family) and the Cavendish family. William Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire, hired Henry Currey in 1859 to prepare plans for an entirely new resort town – and the rest is history.
Perhaps slightly less well known, is the story of Mary Ann Gilbert. Born in Lewes in 1776, she had a relatively poor childhood after her father died. In 1814 she inherited swathes of land and property in Sussex from her uncle. She was married to Davies Giddy, who took on the Gilbert name: they lived at Gildredge Manor and had eight children together.
Mary Ann Gilbert
Ozias Humphrey, 1796
Shocked by the extent of hardship and poverty in Sussex in the 1820s, which led to the Swing Riots, Mary Ann set up a scheme to cultivate land at Whitbread Hollow, beyond Meads and on the way to Beachy Head, which is now a sports field belonging to Bede’s School. She hired 27 labourers to shift fertile clays from nearby marshland and transport it to the allotment site – and remove flints and pebbles. They managed to produce a healthy crop of potatoes.
By 1832 Mary Ann had nearly 200 people renting allotments, growing mangelwurzels, turnips and potatoes and the occasional pig. She kept detailed reports and calculations and encouraged good practice such as using seaweed as fertilizer and introducing water butts. The number of allotment holders had doubled to over 400 by 1844. She also founded agricultural schools at Willingdon and East Dean that were staffed by teachers from the local workhouse.
Mary Ann Gilbert’s experiment reduced poverty in Sussex by almost half. It was an agricultural revolution that was the foundation of the allotments we see across the country. I think you’ll agree, it’s a really inspiring story of a local woman and one I didn’t know until very recently – I must thank Sally Lee from Rooted Community Food for enlightening me – it’s a shame she can’t be here today.
Mary Ann Gilbert died in 1845, but her legacy is still felt. Eastbourne Allotments & Garden Society, has overseen the town’s 14 allotment sites for many years. The society currently rent out over 1,200 plots, all of which are in high demand, with hundreds of people on a three-year waiting list for a plot.
Whitbread Hollow
Robert McGowan, 2017
Could it be that allotments are actually becoming fashionable? I’m beginning to think so. And why not? We seem to be in an age of anxiety – be it technology overload or concerns about pollution or the reliability of exports and imports from neighbouring countries. And this seems to be a time when lots of people want high quality, healthy, affordable local fruit and veg – plus social contact with like-minded people, exercise and a general warm glow and sense of wellbeing. That’s certainly what I’ve picked up from my visits to the Gather and Rooted community gardens. They’ve kindly agreed to fill in our survey about growing in a changing climate – and hopefully many of the other local growers will too.
Gather Community Garden
Robert McGowan, 2024
We will analyse the results and report back in a few weeks’ time. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the very wet weather over the last couple of years – rainfall around 30% above average this year – and the fact that many allotments and gardens are located on the floodplain – the feedback so far has centred on designing ways of improving drainage on plots. French drains and wicking beds have been mentioned, along with more water butts and ponds.
In recent weeks we’ve been talking about fundraising for a community cargo bike that can help with deliveries to community fridges, food banks and retailers. We might be better off with a community cargo boat!
Rooted Community Food
Robert McGowan, 2004
A video of Robert McGowan’s presentation at the Eastbourne Food Summit is available here:
Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) welcomes the decision to approve the new bus lanes. The East Sussex County Council (ESCC) Lead Member for Transport and Environment now supports the revised plans for bus priority measures along Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue. This being part of the county council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.
The second public consultation showed that the majority (56%) of replies supported the new plans. Following concerns from local residents and businesses, changes have been made to the original proposal with the result that there will be more parking places than originally planned along the route.
The new plans are predicted to have little or no detrimental effect to journey times along the two roads but would reduce bus journey times, greatly improve reliability and make the bus an attractive alternative for short, local and cross-town trips.
Local councils want to support public transport, walking, cycling and wheeling. ESCC have received £41 million from the government to support better bus services. Bus priority is important for Eastbourne to be able to move to a more sustainable transport system in the future. Buses provide transport for all members of the population including the old, young, disabled and those unable to afford cars.
EEAN are confident that the bus priority measures will be successfully introduced and that local businesses will continue to thrive.
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