Pride in Worthing initiative launched to revitalise Worthing town centre
Released: Monday, 27 July 2026
Hundreds of thousands of pounds a year are to be spent on a new and sustained focus on revitalising and maintaining the heart of Worthing town centre.
The Pride in Worthing initiative will involve our teams working with businesses and the community to improve the town centre and make it cleaner, greener and better maintained throughout the year.
Between September and March 2027, we will invest £175,000 of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding - money paid by developers when they complete projects - in this work. A further £200,000 of CIL funding is earmarked to be spent in the town centre in 2027/28 along with £500,000 in 2028/29.
The funding includes £310,000 that was previously set aside for the lido regeneration project but which will not be needed for the lido work before 2028. The reallocation reflects the current timetable for the lido project. We remain committed to restoring the lido, with £1.29 million already highlighted for the project this year, while we continue to pursue the significant external funding needed to deliver the scheme.
Separately, we're reviewing whether other funding streams could deliver greater benefits for residents if they were spent on town centre projects rather than other work. So far, £50,000 of such funding has been identified for town centre work this financial year.
Councillor Caroline Baxter, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said:
“I've been struck by just how much people care about Worthing. Everywhere I go, residents, businesses and community groups tell me they want to see a cleaner, greener and better-maintained town centre.
“Pride in Worthing is about bringing everyone together to make that happen and backing it with long-term investment and action. I'm inspired by the drive and passion of our community to see our town thrive and am committed to doing everything I can do to support that.
“I want Worthing to be a town where people feel proud to live, where businesses have the confidence to invest, where public spaces are welcoming and accessible, where young people can see opportunities for their future, and where visitors leave with an even more positive impression of our town.
“My job as leader is to bring all of those strengths together and help build an even cleaner, greener and more prosperous Worthing, with an even stronger sense of civic pride, so we can all make Worthing the very best it can be.”
Pride in Worthing will bring together our teams, our partners, businesses, community groups and residents behind one shared ambition - creating a cleaner, greener Worthing that reflects the pride people already have in the town. A key part will be highlighting how different people and groups from across Worthing can get involved in activities with us and other organisations to improve the borough.
Discussions will be held this summer and autumn to develop a priority list of work to be done, including the creation of a more concentrated regular cleansing routine.
Early priorities could include adding extra bins at the busiest locations, the installation of more seating, improved lighting and a greater focus on working with volunteers to tackle litter, graffiti, vandalism, weeding or fly-tipping more swiftly.
West Sussex County Council has agreed to increase its work to tackle weeding and graffiti removal on its land and our officers will work with businesses and community groups to secure visible improvements for residents within weeks.
Alongside that, work will begin this week on a masterplan for Worthing, to set out clearly what Worthing needs, where the opportunities are and how we will co-ordinate with our partners to seek investment and deliver long-term growth for the borough.
Although neighbouring towns and cities have secured significant government investment in recent years, Worthing has received far less than it needs. We will continue working closely with Worthing's two MPs and other partners to make the strongest possible case for investment in major regeneration projects, including the lido, town centre and seafront.
Pride in Worthing builds on last year's commitment of funding by us to make the seafront and town centre more attractive to visitors and residents.
That included widespread repairing and repainting of benches, railings and bins across the town centre, as well as the refurbishment of some seafront shelters and the introduction of new wayfinding monoliths at key sites.
Millions of pounds are also being spent to improve Worthing's coastal defences and complete a permanent repair to the storm-damaged section of the pier.
We will be using the #PrideInWorthing hashtag alongside #LoveWorthing on our town centre messaging on social media, so please share our posts widely.
Photo: Cllr Caroline Baxter in Warwick Street
Photo: Cllr Caroline Baxter on Worthing Pier
(PR26-065)
Page last updated: 27 July 2026