CiViC warns over 'flawed'financial plan

The society's committee members said they believed the financial analysis behind the plans for the town's new theatre/cinema complex was flawed.

Their request for the council to provide a subsidy was rejected by Arun's cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Norman Dingemans, at last week's full council meeting.

Cllr Dingemans claimed the finances included in the report which supported the leisure venue were realistic and showed that the entertainment centre would be profitable. But CiViC's committee believes that a lack of backing from the council '“ similar to that given to the Windmill centre in Littlehampton for many years '“ will see Bognor's entertainments centre again plagued by financial problems. CiViC deputy chairman Hugh Coster said: 'However, we welcome Cllr Dingemans' remarks because he has confirmed Arun's complete confidence in their consultants' figures.

'This means Arun can have no possible objection to providing back-up subsidy because, if they are right, the subsidy will not be called on anyway. If they are wrong, it will prove the wisdom of having the subsidy in place.

'It is extremely rare that a theatre operates without some form of subsidy and the council knows this.'