Rother attacked at Town Forum over tourism "farce"

Making use of the public forum session at the start of the De La Warr Pavilion meeting, Jackie Crouch of Bexhill Hospitality Association told representatives of town associations that hoteliers and guest house owners had warned Rother before it went over to the electronic system that its destination management system would not work.

The Dunselma guest house owner alleged that the district council had not listened to the trade and as a result the system was not producing bookings.

The online system was introduced after Rother closed Bexhill's tourist information centre.

Those in the trade had warned Rother that it would not work, she said.

"They ignored this advice and said we were talking rubbish and that they knew better...

"The tourism and regeneration department have probably never run a guest house or hotel. I doubt if they have ever worked hands-on in tourism. If they did they would understand the massive problems we are finding in the present climate."

Councillors and senior Rother officers were present as she also lashed Rother's suggestion that the Town Guide should be reduced from booklet form to a single folded sheet on a 10,000 print-run, saying this would be an "absolute disaster."

She added: "I think it is absolutely farcical."

She said proposed electronic street kiosks would cost 12,000 each plus 4,000 a year to manage.

"I think that money would be better spent on a tourist information centre - with the regeneration and tourist office based there with a couple of members of staff."

She also hit out at Rother's use of "expensive" consultants, who came up with "grandiose" ideas which never happened.

What was needed, she said, was new signage on the A259, telling tourists who would otherwise bypass Bexhill that there were shops, hotels and the De La Warr Pavilion in town.

Present tourist signage in the town was out-of-date and shabby.

Asking: "Should not someone out there be selling our town?" she said Rother should listen to what the ratepayers wanted, what the residents needed.