A DEPARTING shop owner has branded a town a pathetic, forgotten backwater in a stinging attack on the council.

Rob Gibbons, joint owner of Worthing’s Zoo Jewellery in Liverpool Road, said the town had not moved on in the 23 years he has been trading and was now in the shadow of the more successful Brighton and Hove.

He slammed the hike in parking charges and lack of new facilities as well as the council’s continued squabbling.

In his open letter to customers, the 55-year-old said: “The council, for all its froth and talk, has achieved nothing to help and encourage the traders of the town to stay and trade.

“When we first arrived the town had the feel of a county town by the sea but due to mismanagement and inaction it has been allowed to drift and become a forgotten backwater – the pathetic, helpless cousin to the glittering successful cousin called Brighton, which lives down the road.”

Among the contributing factors raised by Mr Gibbons, along with his co-owners Simon Abbott and Jim Ford, are the “outrageous” hikes in parking prices following the arrival of NCP, which brought a 30 per cent drop in trade to his business.

They also bemoaned schemes to reduce cars in the town centre and a lack of new parking.

The trio owned two other jewellery shops in Winchester and Salisbury, both of which they have already closed.

Mr Gibbons added: “The dreadful multi-storey and Teville Gate shopping area is still standing and should have been condemned and redeveloped years ago.

"This is the first thing you see on your journey into the town. What does it say to people? ‘Welcome to Worthing, we don’t care’?”

The Argus: Rob Gibbons

He also said councillors had continued to squabble and “talk the talk without walking the walk”.

He thanked customers ahead of their last day on January 16 and issued a plea to the council to reinvigorate the town’s Lido and surrounding seafront area.

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said the past three years had seen a sea-change bringing investment interest to the town.

He said: “The council has already successfully returned Teville Gate to the market after it became stuck in the Irish banking system following the global economic downturn and has sold Union Place to a development company for mixed-use regeneration.

“The area between Splash Point and the Splashpoint Leisure Centre has received significant investment, adding to our beachfront appeal, and the success of our continually improving theatres programme is testament to our continued commitment to culture.

“In 2014, the council brought multi-storey car parking provision back in house, slashing prices to £1 an hour after a decade of much higher fees, increasing town centre footfall as a result.”

He added that investment of more than £1.2 million had revitalised Montague Street and the rotunda and that businesses are welcome to put comments before the council for debate.

NEIGHBOURS FLATTENED BY CITY’S RESORT STATUS Opinion by Adam Trimingham

THE rise of Brighton and Hove to become Britain’s premier resort has flattened some of its neighbours.

Newhaven town centre is melancholy and half deserted as shoppers go elsewhere. Seaford, once thriving, has lost nearly all its hotels.

But there are some success stories too. Lewes is flourishing as an upmarket county town with a large number of independent shops and a strong sense of civic pride.

Shoreham has experienced a revival with many people from other places (including Brighton) attending its farmers’ and artisans’ markets.

It has a number of popular restaurants and the Ropetackle arts centre is flourishing. New homes are being built both in the town centre and Shoreham Beach.

Eastbourne still caters well for older visitors with some stylish hotels but younger people are also enjoying attractions like the Towner art gallery.

It has also become a sports resort with one of Britain’s best tennis centres in Devonshire Park and scores of sports students based at the University of Brighton.

There’s a stark contrast between Eastbourne and Worthing, which seems undecided over whether to remain a resort or become a residential town by the sea.

And it’s not all bad being near Brighton. Soaring house prices are forcing many couples out of the city and into neighbouring towns such as Southwick and Peacehaven.

Many visitors are forsaking Brighton with its high parking charges and perpetual roadworks to park free in Seaford while some city residents shop in Burgess Hill or Crawley rather than struggle into Churchill Square.