Councillors at a packed meeting last night voted to halve the money spent on promoting tourism in Worthing.

The decision means hotels, restaurants and guest houses will have to pay up to £50,000 each year to advertise their businesses. Hoteliers are furious at what they sees as a lack of consultation by a heavy-handed council which is destroying its members' way of life. About 20 residents were at the meeting at Worthing Town Hall last night.

The committee voted for 14 proposals put forward by a working group last year. These include scrapping the Victorian Seaside Festival and cutting the annual tourism budget from more than £100,000 to £50,000.

This money will in future be farmed out to the West Sussex Tourism Initiative, which will work with other operators to provide a better service. But Coun Andrew Garrett, who chaired a special joint meeting of the policy and resources and tourism and marketing committees, claims the change will strengthen tourism by encouraging operators to get more involved in their own promotion.

He said: "Tourist businesses will now have the chance to enjoy proper consultation on how their businesses are advertised to the wider world. Rather than an aloof council saying how it should be done, they will have a genuine input.

"It was a truly historic decision. We now have a strategy where business of all sorts can be encouraged to come to Worthing. There's no way we are abandoning tourism. But now people involved can have a genuine say in how it promotes itself."

Coun Garrett added: "We are trying to take a truly integrated approach to the town's economy, so everyone can benefit. I'm extremely happy that this has happened. It's not a massive change in the budget, because we never had that much money to spend in the first place. But this does mark an important change of emphasis."

However, since the plans came to light earlier this year, hoteliers and some councillors have complained about a lack of consultation, with accusations of undemocratic behaviour flying around.

The committee decision goes before full council on February 24.annual tourism budget from more than £100,000 to £50,000. This money will in future be farmed out to the West Sussex Tourism Initiative, which will work with other operators to provide a better service.

But Coun Andrew Garrett, who chaired a special joint meeting of the policy and resources and tourism and marketing committees, claims the change will strengthen tourism by encouraging operators to get more involved in their own promotion.

He said: "Tourist businesses will now have the chance to enjoy proper consultation on how their businesses are advertised to the wider world. Rather than an aloof council saying how it should be done, they will have a genuine input.

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