Hastings
§ This page gives an overview of the Hastings local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Hastings, on the East Sussex coast, is a historic seaside town with links to the famous 1066 Battle of Hastings, fought nearby at Battle Abbey. The Old Town is full of narrow streets, timber-framed buildings, and fishing huts, while the seafront has piers, amusements, and cultural venues such as Hastings Contemporary. Hastings Country Park and the East and West Hills rise above the town with sweeping views of the Channel, while pebble beaches and cliffs frame the coastline. Its landscape is a blend of seaside, heritage, and rugged hillsides.
The administrative boundary of Hastings can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Hastings.
Key Facts about Hastings
What region is Hastings in? Hastings is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Hastings in? Hastings is located in the county of East Sussex.
Is Hastings a city? No, Hastings is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Hastings? The local authority for this district is: Hastings Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since East Sussex is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: East Sussex County Council.
▶ Official website of Hastings Borough Council 🔗 hastings.gov.uk
Which police force covers Hastings? Policing in Hastings is provided by Sussex Police 🔗 sussex.police.uk, which serves 13 local authority districts: Adur ⁞ Arun ⁞ Brighton and Hove ⁞ Chichester ⁞ Crawley ⁞ Eastbourne ⁞ Hastings ⁞ Horsham ⁞ Lewes ⁞ Mid Sussex ⁞ Rother ⁞ Wealden ⁞ Worthing.
Constituencies in Hastings
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Hastings
Hastings is divided into 16 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashdown
- Baird
- Braybrooke
- Castle
- Central St Leonards
- Conquest
- Gensing
- Hollington
- Maze Hill
- Old Hastings
- Ore
- Silverhill
- St Helens
- Tressell
- West St Leonards
- Wishing Tree
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Hastings
Hastings is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Hastings
Hastings covers 4 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bachelor's Bump *
- Bexhill-on-Sea *
- Fairlight *
- Hastings *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Hastings.)
Hastings compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Hastings compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Hastings has 16 electoral wards.
Hastings has a population of 91,219 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Hastings can be found on the ONS statistics for Hastings.