Bognor Regis Town Council to call for seat at the table on Arun Flood Forum

The motion was presented by Bognor Regis town councillor Paul Wells, who argued that, since the parish is home to some of the areas worst affected by the floods, the council should have been offered a seat on the forum.

Although some Bognor Regis Town Councillors sit on the Flood Forum as part of their role on Arun District Council, and relevant parish councillors from across the district have been invited were appropriate, Bognor Regis Town Council intends to argue that it should have been invited to the forum as a collective.

Introducing the motion, Councillor Paul Wells said: “My concern is the town council is not invited as a parish. I just feel we need to send a message out as a town council, say we should have been.

"I just think, as a body, we should have been invited. This is a big issue, it’s probably bigger than Arun. We all know they’re struggling for finances, and there’s got to be some central government support.”

Councillor Steve Goodheart agreed with the motion: “What Nick Gibb needs to be doing is raising the issue with the Environment Agency, so we know they need more funds. Dredging needs to be done on a local authority level with central government funding.”

Councillor Roger Nash, who sits on the flood forum as part of his role on Arun District Council, said: “In terms of representation, we are there already. The meeting held last Monday was good and there going to be more.