Hotham Park loses its £10,000 grant

The Hotham Park Heritage Trust members watched Arun District Council's performance scrutiny committee unanimously back cabinet member Paul Wotherspoon who decided to end the trust's grant '“ given between 1999 and 2008 '“ and spread the money to help nine other similar groups around the district.

Paul Wells, whose council ward includes Hotham Park, formally challenged Cllr Wotherspoon's action by asking for it to be scrutinised.

He said the removal of the financial backing was a poor way to treat the trust after its work in the park and help in securing a 1.6m Heritage Lottery Fund grant towards the open space's 2.2m.

"I do believe this is the wrong decision," he told the committee on Friday. "We have a lot of organisations in Arun doing good work for the parks and I fully support what they are doing.

"But to take a grant away from an organisation which has done so much good for Hotham Park in partnership with the council is like turning round and sticking two fingers up to that group.

"The trust has helped the council to make money to produce the result of what is now a superb and wonderful park for Bognor."

He was backed by Marine ward councillor Jim Brooks. He said the trust's roots go back to a Friends group 30 years ago.

"If the trust's money is going to be cut to nothing, they deserve better," he said.

"Every penny the council has given them they have multiplied three, four, five times.

"To just throw them away like an old shoe is unfair."

But Cllr Wotherspoon explained it would have been unfair to continue to back the trust.

Some of the duties which the trust had performed in return for the grant '“ such as the upkeep of the park lodge and locking and opening the gates '“ had been taken on by the council.

It was also important, he stressed, for Arun to treat the nine other similar groups in the district on an equal footing.

"The trust has been very generously funded by the council using taxpayers' money for the past ten years," he said.

"But now the park's restoration is complete there is no compelling need to keep funding the trust, which has very significant balances.

"It makes much better use of public money to encourage other groups right across the district to build up their competence and expertise."

He was backed by the council's director of services, Colin Rogers, and head of parks and greenspaces, Philippa Dart. They had recommended the end of the trust's grant to Cllr Wotherspoon.

Only one committee member of the seven present commented before the vote was taken.

Graham Tyler (Rustington East) said: "We don't just have one park in this district. It is the right thing to do to support all the Friends of the various parks and open spaces in the district.

"We all know we are under budget pressures and financial constraints. It's very selfish of councillors to only think about their wards in this matter."

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