Regeneration: Public meeting for Bognor residents

Arun District Council leader Gillian Brown is to be invited to the session to enable her to hear their comments.

The special meeting is being arranged by the town’s Civic Society.

Deputy chairman Hugh Coster said it was in response to Mrs Brown’s answer to his question at a full council meeting about the board.

He stated at the meeting: “You claim that this is a public-private partnership to be proud of but that is not at all true.

“It is a sham.

“It is widely recognised as such in the town and it is viewed by many as potentially corrupt.”

Cllr Mrs Brown said: “If you have people making these allegations, I would like to know.

“This would be more beneficial than asking the same question over and over again.

“This is an outside body and a regeneration partnership. We are jolly lucky to have it in Bognor.

“We should be very proud of it.”

She pointed out its members included two Bognor town councillors.

Outside the meeting, Mr Coster said he would approach Mrs Brown to find a suitable date in her diary so she could find out peoples’ views about the board.

“I’m very happy to invite Mrs Brown to the meeting so the public can tell her what they think about the board,” he said.

Bognor Regis Regeneration Board was set up four years ago to combine the private and public sectors as the concerted effort to regenerate Bognor began.

But its behind the scenes role has become prominent in the past two months because of its key part in deciding how the £500,000 being given by Sainsbury’s to help Bognor town centre will be spent.