Dairy's Hopes Turn Sour

LABOUR members of Littlehampton Town Council have been accused of betrayal by a former mayor after they made a U-turn on major redevelopment plans for a voluntary centre.

Independent town councillor Andy Hawkes says the controlling Labour group on the council has put at risk almost 250,000 of Government funding for the DOVE Project.

The scheme would have enabled Arun and Bognor Councils for Voluntary Service to convert the disused third floor of their offices at The Dairy, Church Street, Littlehampton, into new accommodation for smaller groups.

The town council s decision last week to refuse an extended lease for the premises has forced the CVS into a desperate search for alternative space where the extra facilities could be provided.

But unless somewhere can be found by January, there is a real danger the grant will be lost.

The existing CVS premises at The Dairy, for which the CVS has a further six years remaining on its lease, are not affected by the decision.

The town council is refusing to extend the lease because it has launched a wide-ranging review of community facilities in Littlehampton and there is a possibility The Dairy, which also includes meeting rooms owned and run by the council, may be sold off eventually.

But Mr Hawkes has described the decision to rule out the DOVE Project it stands for Dairy Operation for Voluntary Enterprise as "pathetic, naive and ill-considered", adding: "The Labour Party has betrayed us all".

For the full story, see the Gazette, November 8.