A fair share?

I decided to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to ascertain the true position. I requested a summary of all projects in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton that have received funding of £5,000 or above, from Arun District Council, over the previous ten years, including a short description of the project, the location of the project, and the value of any council funding provided.

It has taken 16 months and two interventions by the Information Commissioner’s Office and now I finally have the information.

In the period 2002/03 to 2011/12, Bognor Regis received £1,321,869 (35 per cent) from Arun District Council and Littlehampton £2,421,123 (65 per cent). These figures do not include the £1.3m that Arun has approved for flood defence improvements for Littlehampton, which triggered Cllr Wells’ comments and my FOI request.

Whilst I welcome and support the level of council funding provided for Littlehampton, I am, at the same time, concerned that Bognor Regis is not receiving adequate funding from the council.

Anyone wanting to read the rather interesting twists and turns of this FOI request can do so at https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/council_funding_in_littlehampton#comment-34612

I am unable to append the spreadsheet to the web site so if anyone wants to see a copy they can e-mail me at [email protected] and I will happily forward the information.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the Information Commissioner’s Office for the two interventions it made on my behalf. Without them I doubt my Freedom of Information request would have been properly answered!

Tony Dixon

Barons Close

Westergate

l A spokeswoman for Arun replied: “The overall spend for the period 2002/3 to 2011/12 for projects more than £5,000 for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton respectively are £3,356,510 and £3,689,239 i.e. a difference of £332,729.

“In terms of Arun District Council spend during this period, Littlehampton received £2,421,123, whilst Bognor Regis received £1,321,869. The vast majority of the difference in funding through Arun District Council for the two towns was a result of the East Bank Development in Littlehampton.Proposed regeneration projects in Bognor Regis may attract similar investment through development opportunities.”

Arun cabinet member for customer services, Councillor Norman Dingemans, said: “Development and investment are not looked at specifically on the basis of spend in each town, but on the merits of each project and how they fit with the councils priorities.”

The spokeswoman added: “The figures referred to in the above do not include revenue spending e.g. the upkeep of parks and refuse collection. We do not record our project spend by specific geographical area.”