Company tasked with caring for Worthing's lido and pier

Adur and Worthing Councils are set to award the important £200,000 a year contract to JT Mackleys & Co.

If this is approved by cabinet members from both councils, the company would be responsible for inspecting and repairing both landmarks for at least 21 months.

A report describes how both structures are ‘located in a harsh tidal environment’ which makes maintenance essential.

It goes on to add: “The pier and lido provide valuable destination and entertainment venues and act as an attraction to the town centre area.

“Closure due to poor structural maintenance would negatively affect the council’s reputation.”

The company is already familiar with the pier due to emergency works it carried out last winter.

Unfortunately, the council’s usual contractor – which had cared for the pier since 2019 – was affected by the pandemic and had to cancel its contract due to staffing issues in August 2021.

This meant JT Mackleys & Co were called upon for the emergency repairs following storm damage in November.

If the repairs hadn’t been carried out, the pier would have faced temporary closure.

Worthing Borough Council owns both the lido and the pier with the structures costing around £11,000 and £183,000 to maintain each year respectively.

The lido and pier form part of the ongoing ‘Seafront Investment Plan’ which aims to ‘revitalise’ the area and ‘boost the growing visitor economy’.

The council is set to bid for Levelling Up funding from the government which could help pay for Lido renovation in the future.