EXCLUSIVE: Locals in a small town in East Sussex say their high street is deteriorating shop by shop and local councils are too busy fighting with each other to listen.
Local resident Andrew Cotty said he will be protesting against the closure (Image: Adam Gerrard)
Banks have shut up shop, the high street is disappearing and now there are fears the Post Office could suffer the same fate – Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex is a town that’s suffering.
Independent businesses are taking a huge hit in the East Sussex seaside town as the lack of footfall is leaving owners begging for “regeneration”.
Despite having three councils to collaborate on improving the area, residents say “they’re not listening to the town” with “local businesses having nowhere to bank”.
Owner of Sweets On Sea, Luke Oliver, told Express.co.uk: “If you speak to a lot of shop owners you’ll now see a lot of empty shops around. There’s more and more shops closing, all the banks have now closed – we’ve just found out today that our post office is going to be closed. Local businesses have nowhere to bank.”
Lloyds Bank, HSBC and NatWest are among the companies who have closed their doors for good over the past years, leaving the entrepreneurs of Bexhill unable to access local banks.
“It’s getting worse because of the local councils – too many councils in the town. We’ve got East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and now Bexhill Town Council and they’re all fighting each other,” added Oliver, 48.
Sweets On Sea is among one of the few businesses still remaining (Image: Adam Gerrard)
Local butcher Sean Piper has seen less customers this year (Image: Adam Gerrard)
He says: “They’re not listening to the town, it needs regeneration. There’s been a decline in customers.”
Bexhill has a population of just over 40,000 residents with 34% being over 65 years old. Many locals depend on highstreet shops for their supplies who are unable to access large stores outside of town.
On Wednesday the Post Office announced 115 branch closures with Bexhill being on the list. One resident, Andrew Cotty, claims he will be “out there day and night with a petition, like I did for the public toilets” if it does close. “There have been lots of changes but not good ones, not for the businesses,” he adds.
Local Conservative MP Dr Kieran Mullan has launched a petition in protest to this: “The loss of four major banks from our high streets has had a big impact on the town and residents were told that their day to day banking needs could be met by the Post Office,
“It is therefore vital that we do not lose this service or the highly experienced Post Office staff who understand and serve the community so well.”
Locals say the high street is disappearing in front of their eyes (Image: Adam Gerrard)
Bexhill Post Office could be next to close its doors (Image: Adam Gerrard)
The ‘Save Bexhill Post Office’ is available to people to sign until December 31, 2024.
Being just a 30 minute drive to Eastbourne and a 20 minute drive to Hastings, two larger Sussex towns, local businesses are finding it harder to compete to bring external visitors to their shops.
Local butcher Sean Piper says: “There’s a lot of retired people that live here so it’s very quiet. People tend to go to Eastbourne or Hastings.”
Piper, 57, explains how this Summer has been “slightly” quieter. “You do walk around the streets and see quite a lot of empty shops at the moment,” he adds.
East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and now Bexhill Town Council have been approached for comment.
