West Sussex councils to hire coastal jobs boss (From The Argus)

More money down the drain. Typical of councils to cut the necessary and spend multi-bucks on the frivolous. Most of the UK's coastal towns are stuck in the 19th century and can't get it through their council's thick heads that the British seaside holiday is long gone except for the occasional dirty weekend! The infrastructure is horse and cart era instead of 21st century. No industry is going to put itself on the coast at the end of a farm track! Ever tried driving a truck on the A21 from Hastings to London? One set of roadworks and it's quicker to walk!

Acoustic, your argument seems to be "What a ridiculous waste of money. The coastal area really needs some clever regeneration thinking because it's got some big problems."

Which is it?

Or is 30p per person per year too much to pay, and we should just let the south coast fall apart until it looks like a grey-haired version of downtown LA?

Crunchie. My argument is that no amount of 'clever regeneration ideas' can work, simply because the money, political will, and weather, as far as leisure is concerned, is not there. Our part of the world is over 100 years behind the times as far as infrastrucure is concerned, and needs billions spent on it. Leisure and tourism is a major possibility but dirty and expensive hotels knock that on the head when you can have a fortnight in the good weather for a fraction of the price of a fortnight in Eastbourne or Brighton. I notice that ESCC in their wisdom have even put parking meters in all the little laybys and picnic spots on the Downs while South East Water and the Forestry Commission have jumped on the bandwagon at Arlington Resevoir and Abbots Wood. What a way to encourage tourists! Industry will not come to places where it costs an arm and a leg in money and time to transport goods. Agriculture seems dead as we prefer to import our foods, from France where the EC red tape is simply ignored, to Chile from where most of our salad crops and fruit seem to tolerate all those air miles when the same stuff is now grown in Kent under glass all year round! Even the commuters will relocate nearer to their jobs thanks to our rip-off railways. Any modern shopping centres we have are grossly overcrowded and impossible to get to at peak times. Ever tried the exorbitantly priced parking at Churchill Square on a Saturday morning? And no, Park and Ride is not the answer. Life is too short!