Eastbourne has been named the best resort in the UK.

Readers of travel industry magazine Group Leisure placed the resort in top place ahead of Blackpool, Bournemouth and Torquay.

Borough council leader Ian Lucas accepted the award from BBC South-East weather presenter Kaddy Lee-Preston.

It is the second time in four years that Eastbourne has won the best UK resort honour in the magazine poll.

The latest award comes as community leaders try to ditch the resort's retirement town image.

Council officials have sought to lure younger visitors by putting up posters on the London Underground network featuring daring action sports under the slogan "Change Your View".

They have also revamped one of its most popular summer events, Skate, to widen its appeal among the lucrative 30-plus age band.

The arrival of the Wide Boy deckchair earlier this year was another example of how town leaders are trying to alter people's perception.

Of the award, Coun Lucas said: "This is brilliant news and just what Eastbourne deserves. Everyone who lives here knows our town is the best in the UK.

"It is through the hard work and commitment of our in-house tourism team, matched by the quality of product offered by our business community, that we are the proud recipients of this prestigious award."

Meanwhile, the Eastbourne Green Party fears the town could be in danger of losing its future as a tourist resort because of cost-cutting.

It has warned that "lack of imagination" by the council could threaten some of the town's landmark venues.

Public consultation is under way to decide the future of key assets including the Grade II-listed bandstand, the Redoubt Fortress and the theatres.

It follows the announcement that a multi million-pound investment is needed to bring the well-known attractions up to standard.

Green spokesman Clive Gross said: "The current council appears to be going through a process of persuading us that there are no alternatives other than to close or sell off many of our most prized landmarks because of their long-standing mismanagement of these facilities."

Deputy council leader David Elkin said: "If the Green Party has some imaginative ideas on how we can tackle this problem, we would like to hear it.

"This is capital expenditure. Therefore, we are talking about large chunks of money that can only come about if we dispose of an asset and reinvest in another area."

Wednesday, October 26, 2005