Worthing's budget delivers on promise to build a fair, green and more local borough
Released: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Working closely with the community, Worthing Borough Council is delivering improvements to regenerate the town centre, protect key seafront heritage sites, as well as ensuring access to genuinely affordable housing.
By prioritising projects that support both residents and the environment, we are shaping a future that is fairer, greener and more local.
Last week we announced that we have been granted exceptional financial support (EFS), which will help us manage the challenges we face and work towards a more sustainable financial position.
Councillors today (25th February 2025) approved the 2025/26 budget and a council tax rise of 2.99% - the equivalent of 15 pence per week extra for the average Band D home - which is enough to balance the books.
We have worked hard to minimise a shortfall in our budget, but are continuing to face pressures from a reduction in grant funding and record numbers of local Worthing residents facing homelessness coming to us for help, as well as people needing supported accommodation who have been placed in Worthing by other authorities.
Despite these financial challenges, we remain committed to our priorities and continue to make significant progress towards achieving them.
We are also investing in projects that matter to our residents. By working more closely with neighbourhoods across the borough, we are ensuring that our plans reflect local priorities.
New facilities will be developed at West Durrington and Hill Barn Recreation Ground, working with residents to shape the plans. Work will also begin this year on a transformative project at Homefield Park to update the facilities there.
Community Infrastructure Levy funds from developers will be invested to help local community projects to grow and we will light the beacon in support of celebrations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day in May.
We know that preserving Worthing's coastal heritage matters and it's a key part of the town's identity. Later this year we will begin work with the community to create a blueprint to safeguard the pier, the lido and other key heritage sites along the coastline, to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy these assets for the next 25 years and beyond.
The heart of the town will see a key regeneration project, as work begins in the spring on Montague Gardens - a new green space that links the town to the sea. We will also work more closely with Worthing Business Improvement District and Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce to listen to businesses and hear what support they need going forward.
Supporting the most vulnerable residents remains another key priority. We are working to develop more genuinely affordable housing for Worthing residents in need of somewhere to live as well as reducing reliance on expensive nightly temporary accommodation, and bringing back to the borough locals who are currently having to be housed elsewhere.
We have secured extra government funding for our Proactive service to help some of the most vulnerable members of the community get the financial help they're entitled to.
Last year our Proactive team helped residents get money off their water bills and supported pensioners who were just missing out on eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments with free supermarket vouchers worth £200.
We remain on track to hit our carbon neutral 2030 target, with the Worthing Heat Network under construction serving council buildings, Worthing Hospital and beyond, as well as plans to invest in electric HGVs for waste collection through to 2030, while moving to HVO, a low-carbon alternative to diesel, for our existing trucks during the transition.
We will also continue to enable community participation with environmental projects, including the Trees for Streets programme and plans to enhance the biodiversity at Cissbury Fields.
Residents, local organisations, and partners will be invited to help shape the future of Worthing by contributing to our devolution plans. There will be opportunities for you to get involved and have your say on how local decision-making can better reflect the needs of Worthing's communities.
Cllr Sophie Cox, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said:
“We know that our residents are still being hit hard with the cost of living and we are determined to put our residents first by protecting essential services, investing in our communities and delivering innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges we face.
“Despite the financial pressures we are continuing to see, we are making progress in regenerating our town centre, building more affordable homes and leading the way on environmental projects that will secure a greener future for us all.
“I'm looking forward to our communities being a part of the conversation of our town's future and so by working together we can ensure Worthing remains a fantastic place to live, work, visit or study.”
To read the budget report in full or listen back to the meeting, please visit:
Or to find out more about exceptional financial support, see:
Photo: Worthing Town Hall
(PR25-015)
Page last updated: 04 March 2025