Council offers more for Littlehampton offices purchase

The town council has added a further £20,000 to its existing six-figure bid for the shabby-looking office block in Church Street, which has been empty since housing staff moved into Arun Civic Centre a year ago.

Arun’s decision to sell the offices on the open market sparked a rift between the two councils and led to some Arun councillors representing Littlehampton wards to mount an, ultimately unsuccessful, challenge to that decision.

Town clerk Peter Herbert told the town council’s budget meeting he was optimistic the new offer would be successful. “We are at a relatively close point on this,” he said.

Councillor Joyce Bowyer, leader of the controlling Conservative group on the town council, said: “The reason we want it is to build a community centre there, as an extension to the Manor House, enabling us to do a lot of things, such as wedding receptions.

“There is no big hall in Littlehampton that can be used for functions and conferences, so it would be a great asset to the town.”

She added: “It sticks in my craw to have to pay more because it is Arun District Council.”

The town council agreed to fund the extra £20,000 with £10,000 from its reserves and £10,000 from an additional 99p on its share of council tax bills, half of the £1.98 increase for a typical band D property.