Questions from members of the public

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In response to a question about support for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), the Leader said the County Council is expanding SEND provision, including additional specialist bases within mainstream schools, and will build on its Local Inclusion Support Offer pilot as national reforms are implemented. p2p3

Answering questions about cycling and walking investment, the Lead Member for Transport and Environment said the county has been allocated £2.734 million of capital funding for active travel schemes over the four years to 2029/30 and £643,000 of revenue funding over the three years to 2028/29. p9p11

This financial year the council is investing in active travel improvements at the Station Approach/Devonshire Road/Havelock Road junction and starting the Hastings Town Centre Green Connections scheme, intended to create an active travel and public transport route from the rail station through the town centre to Hastings seafront. p11p13

In response to a question about a fatal collision on Beachy Head Road, the Lead Member said the council's Road Safety Team investigates all fatal collisions on the county road network and will review the site and consider possible highway, road safety and enforcement measures once the Sussex Police investigation is complete. p15p16

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• p2During the election campaign, you stated that SEND provision needs to be reconsidered. Given the challenges facing some children and families in accessing SEND support, assessments and EHCP processes, what is the Council's current approach to improving SEND provision in East Sussex, and are any changes being considered? Response by the Leader and Lead Member for Strategic Management Improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) remains a key priority for the County Council. We recognise that many families have experienced challenges in accessing support, obtaining assessments and navigating the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. Demand for SEND services has increased significantly in recent years, both locally and nationally, placing considerable pressure on the system. However, our focus is on ensuring that children and young people receive the right support at the right time and in the most appropriate setting. The Council's current approach is aligned to the national reforms for SEND. Our aims are clear, to focus on improving inclusion in mainstream settings, strengthening partnership working across education, health and care, improving the quality and timeliness of EHCPs, and ensuring families are involved through co-production opportunities. As part of our Local SEND Reform Plan, we are continuing to expand SEND provision across the county, including additional specialist bases developed within mainstream schools. This model will enable more children with SEND to access support closer to home while maintaining and developing robust mainstream inclusion to meet the needs of all children in the universal and targeted space. East Sussex has been piloting approaches through the Local Inclusion Support Offer, aimed at providing earlier support, improving consistency, and ensuring schools can meet additional needs more effectively and at an earlier stage.
• p3We will be building on this pilot work as we implement the SEND Reforms. Our aim is to improve the effectiveness, timeliness and accessibility of services and create an inclusive SEND system that delivers better outcomes for children, young people and their families across East Sussex.
• p9Response by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment As you highlight, the £4.5bn national active travel budget is the projected total investment package from Government over the next five years from 2025 to 2030. Of this, £1.1bn is explicitly allocated to Active Travel England (ATE), with £760 million of this for ATE to distribute as capital grants to local councils for high-priority walking, wheeling, and cycling schemes. The balance of £3.4bn is distributed locally via multi-year local transport consolidated funding and devolution agreements. Through the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority, we have been allocated £2.734m capital funding specifically for active travel schemes across the county over the next four years up to 2029/30 and £643,000 revenue funding across the three years to 2028/29. This dedicated funding for active travel can be augmented by the multi-year capital grant also received by the County Council through the Strategic Authority for wider local transport improvements, as well as other secured external funding sources, to deliver active travel schemes in the county that support the delivery of our Local Transport Plan 4 vision and objectives. The allocation of the East Sussex local transport grant and dedicated active travel capital and revenue funding for 2026/27, as well as external funding in relation to active travel schemes, was set out in the programme of transport improvement reported to the Lead Member decision making meeting in March 2026 which is available on the county council website. This financial year, investment in active travel schemes includes town centre public realm and pedestrian improvement schemes in Eastbourne and Hastings, as well as a number of cycle routes in Eastbourne and Bexhill.
• p11Q3) Anna Sabin – St Leonards, East Sussex What are you doing, like recruiting new specialist designers, engineers and planners, to ensure the maximum amount of new walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure (CWIS3) funding is spent in East Sussex, particularly in Hastings? Response by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment Through the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority, we have been allocated £2.734m capital funding specifically for active travel schemes across the county over the next four years up to 2029/30 and £643,000 revenue funding across the three years to 2028/29. This dedicated funding for active travel can be augmented by the multi-year capital grant also received by the County Council through the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority for wider local transport improvements, as well as other secured external funding sources, to deliver active travel schemes in the county that support the delivery of our Local Transport Plan 4 vision and objectives. The allocation of the East Sussex local transport grant and dedicated active travel capital and revenue funding for 2026/27, as well as external funding in relation to active travel schemes, was set out in the programme of transport improvement reported to the Lead Member decision making meeting in March 2026, which is available on the county council website. This financial year we are investing significantly in active travel improvements at the Station Approach/Devonshire Road/Havelock Road junction as well as commencing the multi-million Hastings Town Centre Green Connections scheme, focused on the Havelock Road/Harold Place corridor as well as Wellington Place, which will enhance the public realm and create an active travel/public transport route from the rail station through the town centre to Hastings seafront.
• p13This dedicated funding for active travel can be augmented by the multi-year capital grant also received by the County Council through the Strategic Authority for wider local transport improvements, as well as other secured external funding sources, to deliver active travel schemes in the county that support the delivery of our Local Transport Plan 4 vision and objectives. The allocation of the East Sussex local transport grant and dedicated active travel capital and revenue funding for 2026/27, as well as external funding in relation to active travel schemes, was set out in the programme of transport improvements reported to the Lead Member decision making meeting in March 2026, which is available on the county council website. This financial year we are investing significantly in active travel improvements at the Station Approach/Devonshire Road/Havelock Road junction as well as commencing the multi-million Hastings Town Centre Green Connections scheme, focused on the Havelock Road/Harold Place corridor as well as Wellington Place, which will enhance the public realm and create an active travel/public transport route from the rail station through the town centre to Hastings seafront. How we intend to spend the specific active travel capital and revenue funding to develop and deliver walking, wheeling and cycling schemes and wider active travel initiatives across the three year (revenue) to four year (capital) funding period will be set out in the Local Transport Delivery Plan that the Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority and its three constituent authorities will submit to Government at the end of October 2026. We continue to engage with Active Travel England (ATE) on our plans for active travel in the county. These plans are set out in our current and emerging Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, which sets out our active travel priority schemes for the county, including in Hastings.
• p15Q5) Mandy Butchers on behalf of Lucie Meer – Eastbourne, East Sussex Following the tragic death of 17-year-old Oakley on 26/06/2026 in a traffic accident on Beachy Head Road, where three fatalities have occurred in the past two years, what action will the council take to improve road safety and prevent further deaths at this location?
• p16Response by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those involved in the recent tragic incident on Beachy Head Road. Investigations by Sussex Police into this tragic incident are ongoing. Once these have concluded, Sussex Police will share with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) information about the circumstances of the collision, including details of the vehicles involved, the people involved, the direction of travel and any other relevant factors. The ESCC Road Safety Team investigates all fatal collisions on the county road network. Once the police investigation is complete, officers will review the site, the circumstances of this incident, and the collision history with Sussex Police, and assess whether any highway, road safety or enforcement measures should be considered. It would not be appropriate to review the site until the police investigation has been completed and all relevant information has been reviewed.