Cllr Tony Collins and Green Party colleague Adele Bates have organised the jobs fair in Central St Leonards.

Jobs fair in Central St Leonards

A jobs fair organised by Green Party councillor Tony Collins will be held on 16 June at Christchurch in Central St Leonards, one of the most deprived wards in Hastings, when a variety of local and national employers will be on the lookout for new recruits. Nick Terdre reports.

Looking for a job? Come along to the jobs fair to be held at Christ Church in St Leonards on 16 June, arranged by Central St Leonards Green Party councillor Tony Collins and party colleague Adele Bates, and supported by the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce.

The jobs fair has been arranged in the wake of a smaller venture organised by Green Party councillor Glenn Haffenden in Tressell, which resulted in 30 unemployed people securing jobs. “Inspired by his example, I decided to hire the main hall at Christ Church in London Road – a larger venue, and more accessible in terms of bus and rail links – to hold a similar event in my own ward, Central St Leonards,” Collins told HOT.

He said he has had to work hard to get companies involved, this being a new initiative and at a time when not everyone is hiring. But his efforts have borne fruit — at the last count 19 local and national employers were due to take part, offering jobs for all ages and skill levels. Participants range from housing associations and plastics manufacturers to medical and cleaning services, and include well-known names such as St Michael’s Hospice, Kiley’s Karpets, General Dynamics, Southern Housing and Orbit.

Two conditions

“We wanted to attract a range of companies, and we think we have succeeded. We laid down just two conditions,” Collins explained. “We stipulated that there should be no zero-hours contracts, and that all jobs on offer should pay the National Living Wage or better.”

Also present will be a fostering agency, 5Fostering. “Although it’s perhaps a less traditional form of employment, fostering is a valuable life choice which generates significant income for those who participate,”  said Collins, whose own background is in book publishing.

Further support for job seekers will be provided in the form of advice on interview techniques and writing a CV. People of all ages and skills are invited to attend. It is of course not restricted to ward residents.

To help promote the event, 3,250 newsletters have been delivered by Green Party volunteers to local households, posters have been liberally plastered up and social media have been called into action.

Unemployment in Hastings is higher than the national average — between 5.2% and 5.7%, depending on which source you choose, compared with 3.8% for England as a whole, Collins said.

“It varies greatly across the town: in Central St Leonards there are pockets of wealth but also areas of significant deprivation. Home ownership (a tangentially related measure) is considerably lower in CSL than in any other ward in the town.

“At heart I wanted to offer some hope to people. A lot of the residents I come across are quite beaten down, or cynical. This seemed like something positive I could do.”

The Jobs Fair is on Friday 16 June, 10am–2pm at Christ Church, London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea TN37 6GL. Free entry. Further information from Cllr Tony Collins.

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