The real cost of regenerating Bexhill

Chamber of Commerce president Malcolm Mitcheson stunned Bexhill Town Forum when he interceded on Tuesday to put the case for the town s improvement.

Clearly angry at not having been invited to report on Bexhill Regeneration Partnership s progress which was itemised on the agenda, he said: I am surprised to read in the press that there was to be a partnership report to the meeting.

The chairman or I would have liked to have been invited to give a report.

Mr Mitcheson outlined just how much money was needed to fund the regeneration, in reply to a question about partnership money being used to provide more dog bins.

It left the Forum silent and in no doubt of the huge task ahead.

East Sussex is one of the worst performing county councils in the country and when this is analysed it is because there is serious under-investment, he said.

There are no transport links, poor rail links and few key investments which are needed to make society work.

We need in the region of 3billion to put things right in the county. This equates to 6,000 for each man and woman in East Sussex. In Bexhill we need to be spending 6,000 on each person, or 240m in total.

The Government gave us a kick in the teeth when they turned down the bypass. Ninety per cent of the population wanted the bypass but the government said no. And that was only 250million.

Praising the district council for its forward thinking, he added: Rother is one of the most progressive councils in East Sussex.

It has stated it will be giving the Regeneration Partnership 400,000 but this only represents 10 per head for everyone in Bexhill, a big difference from the 6,000 needed.

It is a good start and we are very grateful to Rother. But it is not going to fix everything. There are greater priorities on our list than dog bins.

In Bexhill for every person wanting to do something there is always someone wanting to do nothing. There is a limit to what Rother and the County can do. We all need to sit up and start pulling in the same direction.