Councillors challenge decision on funding for Hotham Park

Paul Wotherspoon is to be subject to the scrutiny after his second decision to scrap a 10,000 annual grant to Hotham Park Heritage Trust.

The decision by Arun District Council's cabinet member for the environment has been challenged by five Bognor area councillors.

Their call-in means a special meeting of the council's performance scrutiny committee will be held on July 17 to examine the background to Cllr Wotherspoon's move.

Paul Wells, a district councillor for Bognor Hotham, said: "I find it disturbing that an active local organisation has just had its grant completely cut.

"Clearly, the funding they were receiving needed to be reviewed in the current economic climate but that doesn't mean it should be stopped.

"I am disappointed that comments made by councillors in support of the trust don't seem to have been considered in this l atest decision."

His call in has been supported by Jeanette Warr (Hotham), Francis Oppler (Orchard), Simon McDougall (Pevensey) and Jim Brooks (Marine).

Cllr Wotherspoon's latest decision was announced last Thursday.

It was made just over two months after his initial refusal to continue the funding.

He promised to look again at the matter in response to protests. Arun gave the heritage trust 10,000 a year from 1999 to 2008 while the Hotham Park restoration was being planned and put into effect.

The trust worked with the council to secure a 2.2m Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the recently completed work.

Its activity has paved the way for nine other Friends' groups of open spaces around the district to be started.

Arun's services director, Colin Rogers, said: "The reason for the refusal is that the heritage trust has been the only group of its kind to which a grant of that size has been regularly made.

"Now the park's restoration is complete, it would not be justifiable to continue with that situation. There is no need to keep funding the heritage trust to that degree.

"What the council wants to do is to spread that money more evenly around the district to help other groups like the heritage trust."

Rosemary Warren, the heritage trust's chairman, said the trust had stated a case to the council to continue some of its annual grant.

"While the trust considers it has provided an excellent return on the money invested in it, Arun proposes to re-allocate the funding with 6,000 to fund training, and insurance to support all the parks and green spaces user groups '“ including the heritage trust '“ and to allocate 4,000 initially to part fund a replacement chipper and thereafter fund a departmental regrade and offer 900 as a corporate saving.

"The trust welcomes funding of community groups because of the good value offered.

"However, we note the funding has actually been reduced by the spending of 4,000 on capital equipment which we consider to be inappropriate, along with the subsequent implications," she added.

What do you think? Click here to send a letter or leave a comment below.

Click here to go back to Chichester news

Click here to go back to Bognor Regis news

Click here to go back to Midhurst and Petworth news

To tell us where in the world you are reading this story click on the link below to add yourself to our readers' map.

MAP