Saturday - expect a huge gypsy protest

Detailed plans for the Gypsies & Travellers consultation session to take place this Saturday have just been announced.

Because of the huge interest in the meetings that have already taken place on the subject, the Council is asking people to stagger their arrival at the Town Hall.

A council spokesman explained – "We are holding the drop-in session at the Town Hall between 10am and 4pm on Saturday to ensure that everyone has a chance to give their views on the three sites being considered (Sandrock, Bexhill Road, and Summerfields).

"The whole point of the sessions is to allow everyone to express an opinion. It would not be at all helpful if everyone turns up at the same time, we want to listen to everybody.

"We are therefore going to allow up to 30 members of the public to meet officials at any one time – any more, and it would be difficult to give people the individual attention we know they want. If necessary, we will introduce a ticketing system, to give people time slots, so that everyone has a chance to take part.

"We hope it won’t be necessary to have to introduce the system, but if large numbers of people do turn up together, we will have to, just to give everybody a chance to speak.

"And we are asking members of the public to come to the old Town Hall entrance in Queens Road, so that they do not have to crowd into the Hastings Information Centre, which is normally busy anyway on a Saturday."