In Hastings, Rye and the villages we pride ourselves on our community spirit, underpinned by our volunteers and charities. Our calendar is full of carnivals and festivals, from Jack in the Green to bonfire nights. Those events are made possible only by volunteers who give up their time to give back to the community and raise money for our local charities. Volunteers also maintain and protect so many of our amazing public spaces, from Hastings Country Park to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and Camber Sands.
In Rye, we’ve seen great examples of this in action this week.
It was fantastic to take part in the official reopening of Rye Pool under community ownership. As a Labour and Co-operative MP, this is a project that is particularly close to my heart. The Co-operative Party is the voice of the co-operative moment in Parliament. It was founded more than a century ago to provide an alternative to a political system that, at the time, was dominated by private business interests. Co-operative businesses are different in that they are owned by their members – just like the Rye Pool is now owned by the community. It’s about giving local people a genuine say and stake in the assets that matter most to them.
I have been campaigning to save Rye Pool since it first closed in 2022. It was clear then how much our town would suffer if the pool was forced to permanently shut down due to running costs. So the Rye community came together. First to get it back open, and then to buy it back so this could never happen again. I would like to thank everyone in Rye and the surrounding villages who campaigned and pushed for action to save our pool and return it to the heart of our community, run by and for the people who value it most. This co-operative model of ownership means that the pool’s future is in our hands – so we do need to use it or lose it. I encourage everyone to use the pool, whether for swimming lessons, fitness, or simply as a place to get a cuppa.
The Labour and Co-operative government also recognises the power of co-operatives in
tackling many issues we face. We recently announced £20 million of funding for community-led housing to deliver social and affordable homes for local people, and our first investment into community energy in to fund solar panels and other clean energy production at schools, hospitals and other community projects. We have many great local co-operatives already running, and I know more are in the works.
This week I was proud to show small business minister Gareth Thomas MP around Rye.
The minister came to visit our wonderful small businesses and chat to local owners and
employees. It was fantastic to show the minister what Rye has to offer and hear from local businesses about what the Labour government can do to support small and family-run businesses which are the engine of our economy.
We have taken steps to reforming business rates and tackle late payments to reduce the financial burden on small businesses. In fixing our public finances, we have had to make tough choices to avoid a return to the instability of the past 14 years. The decision on employer national insurance was a difficult choice, but one we had to take to give that desperately needed injection to our failing public services to cut NHS waiting times, recruit thousands of new teachers, and more neighbourhood policing to protect our high streets.
We also understand how important the high street is to local businesses – Rye High Street boasts an extraordinary range of independent businesses at a time when national chains increasingly dominate. That is why we supporting our high streets and town centres by giving councils the power to buy back empty shops, as well as tackling the rise in shoplifting by giving police and local communities the support and tools they need to combat crime.
As Rye continues to grow and evolve, a sense of community and co-operation will
undoubtedly remain the beating heart of the town.
Image Credits: Helena Dollimore .