Leaders clash - but Next Wave moves onto the next stage

Meeting last Thursday afternoon, the eight-member body completed its agenda in under 25 minutes.

While cabinet was agreed on its course of action, points raised by the leader of Rother's opposition, sitting in on the meeting, led to angry exchanges with the majority group leader.

The five Next Wave items included two designated as key decisions.

The cabinet action followed a three-and-three-quarter hour meeting of the services overview and scrutiny committee the previous Monday which was dominated by the Next Wave issue.

Cabinet had to make a decision last Thursday to accept the 1m offer from CABE by the following day's deadline or lose the grant.

Members voted in favour.

Moving acceptance of the CABE agreement, Cllr Robin Patten said he was happy to do so, the matter having been the subject of extensive debate in scrutiny committee before a large public gallery.

He noted the CABE offer was not conditional on the Colonnade element of the scheme being included and that this had been 'put into touch' until such time as a proper business plan had been put forward.

Rother leader Cllr Carl Maynard thanked officers for the work they had put into acquiring the funding.

Referring to the fact the money was not conditional on the Colonnade element, he said this gave the authority flexibility in how it spent the money.

Cllr Deirdre Williams said colleagues would be aware she had been 'less than enthusiastic' about Next Wave.

It had been noted that Bexhill town centre was predominantly Victorian and Edwardian and it was the De La Warr Pavilion which was 'perverse'.

But she added: "However, I support this recommendation and I am very happy to do so."

It would produce 1m of funding and the seafront would benefit from 'tender loving care'.

There were sharp exchanges between the leader of the ruling Conservative group and Liberal Democrat group leader as debate moved to the report on the Next Wave public exhibition and consultation.

Cllr Sue Prochak said a lot of people had not been in favour of the West Parade proposals and alleged the council was not taking much notice of these views.

Cllr Maynard rounded on her. "That is the normal negative kind of thing we expect from the leader of the opposition!"

If it had not been for the initiative shown by cabinet Rother would not have obtained the 1m CABE funding, he said.

Cllr Prochak immediately countered by saying that if it had not been for the Liberal Democrats (the largest group in the previous 'hung' administration) the De La Warr Pavilion would never have got its refurbishment funding.

The meeting agreed to note the scrutiny committee's public exhibition report.

Cabinet also agreed to proceed with the tender process for the first phase of Next Wave; Cllr Patten establishing in questioning that fees were likely to make up 750,000 of the total cost.

There was a further sharp exchange between the party leaders when the meeting agreed to note the scrutiny committee's report on marketing the Colonnade scheme in a bid to find commercial partners.

Cllr Prochak questioned spending money on a marketing exercise when it had not been proven that the scheme to create six restaurants and retail units at the Colonnade was technically feasible.