Businesses and community organisations have called for better communication, earlier involvement and more support from Worthing Borough Council when organising town centre projects and events.

These issues were raised at the latest joint overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday, November 4.

Representatives from the Business Improvement District (BID), local investors, heat-network developer Hemiko and West Sussex County Council were invited to share their experiences and suggest ways to improve their partnerships with the council.

One of the main concerns raised during the meeting was the need for businesses to be involved earlier when decisions or planned works could affect them.

Businesses and groups have called for better communication around event-organisation

placeholder image — Businesses and groups have called for better communication around event-organisation

BID manager Hannah Manzaroli said: “Businesses sometimes hear about decisions, planned works or changes affecting the town centre quite late in the process. This makes it difficult for them to plan and it also makes it difficult for us to support them.

“I think businesses should be involved earlier, particularly when decisions can affect access or their trading environment.”

Joseph Reid, head of external affairs at Hemiko, said: “There has historically been a lack of a strategic central forum that all parties are mutually invested and engaged with and that makes it challenging to co-ordinate and agree on plans from a joint co-ordinated perspective.”

He added organisations needed a common way to measure the impacts of projects in the town centre.

Another concern raised was the cost and challenges of organising community events.

Ms Manzaroli said the BID had turned down several events this year because the costs of organising them were too high, despite the potential to attract more people into the town.

She said: “That would have been a free event to try and drive business to the town, which the businesses desperately need right now.”

She also suggested using standard templates for planning events, which she said could help attract more organisers.

Paul Brewer, chief executive of Adur & Worthing Councils, also highlighted the lack of funding received by Worthing compared with other Sussex towns.

He told the meeting: “Since 2020 in Sussex about £237million has been distributed to Sussex towns for regeneration and improvement.

“Worthing has received £0 of that amount and for example Hastings has received £44 million, Eastbourne £39million, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton £26million.”

Mr Brewer described this as ‘a really significant issue for the regeneration of Worthing.’

He added:“The future model of local government reorganisation and the mayor’s office is a key opportunity for us strategically to unlock those kinds of funds.”

Councillors also raised concerns about the costs faced by community groups when organising events and the delays in getting a response from council officers.

Councillor Pauline Higgins asked whether a time limit could be set for finance officers to respond to community groups, as she said many charities began planning their Christmas events as early as January and February.

All the recommendations from the meeting will be put together in a report and given to the joint strategic committee, which will then consider how they can be put into practice to improve Worthing town centre.