14/05/2026
TOWN MAYOR’S REPORT 2025 - 2026 - delivered by Cllr Alan T Butcher at the Littlehampton Annual Town Meeting 23/04/2026
It has been, and remains, a genuine privilege to serve as Mayor of Littlehampton and to see my hopes of progress this year become reality.
In a world with difficulties which still impinge upon our Town, I have to say it has been quite a year for Littlehampton. When I took up this role, I had an optimistic view that we were at a turning point for our Town. I’m so pleased that seems to be true.
Why is Littlehampton capable of such a bounce back in a difficult time? It is because of our incredible community, the people of our town, including of course all of you here tonight. The key to what the Town Council has been trying to do has been to build upon the solid foundation that is our local community to build networks and to work with those that are already out there doing good. It’s been to help us all to help each other.
I have always felt motivated by this place, and by its most local council and of course by its people. The difference the town’s people make is unmistakable: the quality and quantity of our community-in-action sets Littlehampton apart. It is tangible in our events, voluntary groups, parks, theatre, beaches and in the sea air itself — but always because people are making it happen, something for everyone.
My year as Mayor, has given me a close-up view of the generosity and commitment to be found around the town in real, everyday, transformative ways. So I have experienced all sorts of activity:
· In Littlehampton we don’t do events half-heartedly. Whether it is Town Council run like Armed Forces Day or the Town Show and Family Fun Day, not forgetting the High Street events that are bringing more people into the town centre or the recent commercially run Food and Drink Festival or independent events like Bonfire Night.
· I’ve also seen key moments in the year of local community groups, AGMs and award presentations for example, quite rightly keeping each other informed and celebrating achievement.
· There have been openings, such as the wide range of new shops and businesses from our new Bookshop, to Mollycare, and Daina’s Art Studio, and recently Nila, the new south Indian restaurant but also the new jetty on the river Arun created by the Sea Cadets in a remarkably long effort which came to fruition this year.
· I’ve been fact finding, where something which is being done in town may not be seen by everyone but is valuable and vital to those that need it, for example my visits to the Family Contact Centre and the Arun Counselling Centre.
· There have been practical meetings such as the Town Centre Action Group, which the Mayor chairs regularly or one off meetings such as one we had with the new Sussex Tourism Alliance and we had the chance to blow them away with the wide range of what goes on in Littlehampton and the ambition we have for our town.
· I have also tried to drop in, all chained up, sometimes unexpectedly on gatherings like the Veterans Breakfast Club, and to be seen informally walking between events or having tea in Creative Heart or Pier Road Coffee and Art, where a couple of weeks ago I even sat for six hours whilst portraits were painted of me.
Our town has seen ups and downs across the decades of my lifetime. Some were writing us off when high street retail shifted and antisocial behaviour rose. We have lost landmarks — the Body Shop Pagoda and the perhaps surprisingly beloved Gasometer is very likely to follow. But change does not have to just mean loss. We can choose to embrace change and to shape it around our heritage and our future. Two new hotels are coming to welcome visitors; the restaurant on the sea front will be rebuilt; new commercial areas in the north of town have been proposed, renewed confidence in our town; and our traders have come together again in a new business forum, and the Town Centre Action Group coordinating and supporting, reinvigorating the High Street with a strategy initiated by the Town Council to stop asking how we get back to how it was 40 years ago but to ask instead how does it need to be today. Where shops and banks have closed, new kinds of businesses and services are opening, and a new temporary banking hub was established promptly at the Manor House but yes, I know we really need them to get on with moving into the high street and to provide a much needed extra cash machine.
It’s all a work in progress. The truth is that it always will be, in one way or another. We are starting to get more people having positive experiences in our town centre with successful events and new businesses but it is still a struggle for existing shops and businesses. The new Friday Market has been another significant step forward and importantly a regular reason more people are venturing back to the high street. We do have more neighbourhood police and other services working on antisocial behaviour and crime but that will only be seen to make a significant difference if it is sustained and improves further and if people regain faith in reporting so that thereby new resources are brought to bear.
One key commitment the Town Council has made is to create a Littlehampton Town Centre Hub, which we will call Progress Point — a front door for the community to public services and voluntary organisations, another way for the high street to be at the heart of the community and create footfall which would not otherwise be there. The 7.5 million pound investment in our seafront facilities were completed by Arun, a bit later in the summer than hoped, but what a success, giving our seafront new life, and having proved itself we have a whole summer of it to come. The Lyminster bypass opened, finally making road access from the A27 to our seafront easier than it has ever been. Pride in Place funding for the Wick area is coming with 20 million pounds over 10 years. We will hear more about that from the new independent chair of the board Jon Jolly shortly. You may have seen that we have applied to become Britain’s first town of culture in 2028. If we get through to the next round we would get funded to create a plan for how we would use 3 million pounds if we were successful in that bid.
Going forward, structural changes mean the larger councils will be reshaped and combined. Littlehampton Town Council will remain as it is and far from diminishing its role, the other changes will make it an ever more vital most local voice, empowered to express our townspeople’s needs and wishes to new authorities, and with the community by it’s side, it is well equipped to do so.
The Family of Littlehampton was a theme my much missed predecessor Tony Squires pursued throughout his last term as mayor at the start of this millennium back when I was first on the Town Council. He saw the strength of our community as like an extended family and I couldn’t agree more.
So, I close this report with gratitude for the countless examples of community-in-action that turns blank sheets into plans and plans into achievements. To all our councillors and all the remarkable officers and to all the voluntary groups and individuals, businesses and charities, everyone who rolled up their sleeves and helped each other within Littlehampton — thank you. We all set out to work together for all the people of Littlehampton, and together that is what our town is doing. I could not be more proud to be here to help, and I am delighted that we are definitely making progress.
