Eastbourne

Cllr David Elkin has expressed very deep disappointment with the Liberal Democrat Councillors’ intransigence in their rejection of the Conservative Budget at the Full Council Meeting. 

He said, “ Our budget,  fully balanced with the help of the finance department, reflected our residents’ interests. Our key concern was the cavalier approach of the Liberal Democrats towards the Wish Tower Restaurant and their disregard for the wishes of the Community.”

Cllr Elkin suggested, “Rather than demolish it, and have a concrete slab left in its place with an ice-cream kiosk parked upon it for many years, we made provision to refurbish the Wish Tower Restaurant and to work with willing partners from the community to run it as a training facility for the catering trade in Eastbourne, most importantly providing jobs. This was REFUSED.”

 Further he added, “We also provided funds for repair of the front of the Congress Theatre so as to remove the scaffolding.  This scaffolding alone has already cost Ratepayers nearly £100.000 with no end to this cost in sight. This too was REFUSED.”

 Funding for three other small but very important projects was proposed. Cllr Elkin states, “The first was to encourage owners of empty shops in our town to let them, again bringing in new jobs, the second, to asset management which could release Council funds much earlier and finally Dog Wardens to help clear up the streets of our town. All REFUSED.

All the funding we proposed was from monies identified in the Lib Dem budget as unspent for at least a year. Our budget was designed to put a ‘Sparkle’ back in Eastbourne, which is what we are being told by residents is desperately need; sorry to say the Lib Dem Councillors refused the lot"