Arun councillor decries 'secrecy' of levelling up fund meeting

Councillor Hugh Coster (ind), said he tried to attend an informal meeting about levelling up proposals for the Regis Centre site but was asked to leave after members told him he was not invited.

Mr Coster, who represents Aldwick East, has argued that the committee had no authority to disallow him – or any other member – from the meeting, on the basis that it was not an official Arun District Council meeting and, consequently, had no bearing under the constitution.

"They had no authority to exclude other councillors,” he explained. “They just ‘didn’t invite them’. Yes, they were discussing confidential matters, but all councillors are bound by confidentiality rules, so that is no reason to exclude anybody.”

Workshop members countered that Mr Coster’s attendance was ‘unfair’ on the other members of the council, who did not have the opportunity to attend. The independent councillor has since insisted that, because no one was officially barred from the meeting, every other council member had equal opportunity to attend.

As deputy chair of the Bognor Regis Civic Society, Mr Coster said he has a ‘special interest’ in The Regis centre, which was earmarked for extensive improvements in November last year, after the council received £19.4 million to improve Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. On that basis, he has accused the council of ‘secrecy’ in their dealings with the site.

"I’m very much opposed to the issue of secrecy itself. I accept sometimes things have to be discreet and confidential, but that’s only for certain personal and financial matters.

"Councillors are equally entitled to see this stuff. This is a very important project. It involves millions of pounds of public money.”

Council leader Shaun Gunner (con), who also attended the meeting, has refuted Mr Coster’s claims of ‘secrecy’, accusing the Aldwick representative of frustration at not being invited: “Fundamentally, all that is happening is that the committee are working together, collaboratively, to resolve some of the issues around the Regis Centre - the committee system is designed for parties to work together, and that is what the public expect from us in the interests of Bognor Regis,” he said.

“Officers are now doing more work, and there will be reports that go to the September meeting of the Policy and Finance Committee where a decision will be made; all councillors, including Cllr Coster, will be able to attend and speak at that meeting. The reports, and the decision, will be made public in due course. A very small percentage of the council's work takes place in public meetings; this does not mean it is "secret". The only thing that's happened here is that Cllr Coster is frustrated that he doesn't sit on the Committee, which is an issue he needs to raise with his group leader.

"Cllr Coster's argument seems to be that any meeting involving any officer and any councillors in the Civic Centre should be open to any other councillor, otherwise it is "secret". That he was present and knew the subject of the meeting clearly shows it was hardly secret!”

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