Worthing News
The latest Worthing news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Worthing Food Hygiene: Finch Rated 0, Two 1s in August
Finch on Warwick Street was rated 0 in August, Worthing's only zero. The Ardington Hotel and a Montague Street takeaway got 1. Every recent rating listed.
More stories
Council
Worthing Council Budget: £5.1m Government Support Needed
Worthing Borough Council expects to need £5.1m of Exceptional Financial Support to balance its 2027/28 budget, up from £4.67m in July. Homelessness drives it.
Planning
Marine Place Worthing: 27 Flats Face Refusal on 7 October
Officers want 27 one-person flats behind South Street refused on eight grounds, from flood risk to harm to the Dome. Councillors decide on Wednesday 7 October.
Housing
Worthing Housing List: 858 Could Be Removed in Shake-Up
Worthing plans to drop 858 no-need households from a 2,462-strong housing list, when only 131 homes were let last year. Have your say by 20 October.
Worthing FC
Worthing FC Given Freedom of the Borough in Unanimous Vote
Councillors voted unanimously on 30 September to give Worthing FC the borough's highest honour, the first since 2018 and the first ever to a sports club.
Worthing Hospital
Worthing Hospital Maternity Back to Requires Improvement
Worthing Hospital's maternity unit is back to requires improvement, seven months after the CQC raised it to good. Inspectors found delays in 3 of 11 records.
Worthing Council
Worthing Community Grants: North West Gets £0 of £121,000
Worthing North West gets £0.00 from the new £121,000 Connected Communities fund, while Coastal East gets £39,873. Bids of £1,000 to £5,000 close 25 October.
Crime
Worthing E-Scooter Appeal: Police Release Chapel Road Video
Sussex Police released footage of two men on an e-scooter after a 74-year-old pedestrian was hurt in Chapel Road. Illegal riding reports are up 53.7%.
Worthing Hospital
Worthing Hospital Mortuary: 10 Major Failings Found
Inspectors watched a body prepared for release from a public footpath, and found 10 major failings in Worthing Hospital's mortuary, four repeated from 2022.
Parking
Worthing Parking Permits Rise 1 October: Every New Price
A Worthing resident permit goes from £35 to £40 on 1 October and the carer permit jumps 36%. Every new charge, from the county council's own notice.
Worthing Integrated Care Centre
Worthing Care Centre Water Fix Pencilled for End of 2026
The £48.9m Worthing Integrated Care Centre's water system may be handed back by the end of 2026, a council report says, after several missed deadlines.
Guild Care
Guild Care to Buy Methold House From Worthing Council
Councillors have agreed to sell Methold House on North Street to Guild Care, after talks that began before 2018. The charity says it secures its future there.
Worthing Borough Council
Worthing Council Abolition Paused: May 2027 Vote Goes Ahead
The plan to fold Worthing into a coastal council with Adur and Arun is on hold. Borough elections go ahead on 6 May 2027, and no new decision date is set.
Tarring
Tarring Park Village Green Bid: Objections Close 15 October
Tarring Park could become a registered town or village green, protected by law against encroachment. Objections go to West Sussex by 15 October 2026.
Worthing town centre
Montague Gardens Worthing Opens: £3.1m, Play Area Still Shut
Worthing's £3.1m Montague Gardens opened on 5 September, but the kelp play area is still closed for safety flooring and the kiosk has no operator yet.
Council
Worthing Town Hall: £111,333 Housing Reception Rebuild
Worthing Borough Council signed a £111,333 contract on 3 September to rebuild the Town Hall housing reception. Councillors can call it in until 10 September.
Business
Support Solutions Worthing Wound Up Owing £173,750
Support Solutions (West Sussex) was wound up on 20 August owing £173,750 against £1 of assets. The 13-staff Worthing homecare firm stopped trading in 2024.
Council
Worthing Pavilion Theatre: £221,418 Window Deal Signed
The council signed a £221,418 Pavilion Theatre reglazing contract on 20 August. Listed building consent is undecided, and comments close 11 September.
Food hygiene
Worthing Food Hygiene August: A 0 and Two 1s Published Late
Late-published August ratings include a 0 for Finch on Warwick Street and 1s for the Ardington Hotel and Jenito's. Every rating issued by 1 September listed.
Worthing town centre
Montague Quarter Worthing: Clean-Up Ordered by 28 August
Worthing's council has ordered the Montague Quarter cleaned by Friday 28 August or it bills the owners. One of the two went into receivership on 28 July.
What's on
Heritage Open Days Worthing 2026: None Here, 5 Just Outside
No Worthing venue has registered for the 11 to 20 September festival. The nearest five free openings are in Sompting and Shoreham, and one caps tours at 12.
Worthing Pier
Worthing Pier Repair Starts: First Piles Out, £550k Cost
Contractors have started pulling piles from beneath Worthing Pier. The repair is forecast at £550,000, due to finish by the end of autumn. The pier stays open.
House prices
Worthing House Prices June 2026: Down £16,070 in a Year
The average Worthing home sold for £296,227, down 5.1% in a year. That is the steepest fall of any district in Sussex and the lowest average since 2021.
Seafront
Worthing West Buildings Shelter: Bids Close 20 September
Worthing council wants a restaurant or cafe in the locally listed West Buildings Shelter. Round one bids close at 5pm on Sunday 20 September.
Council
Worthing food waste collection: bins out by 6:30am
Worthing's weekly food waste bin has to be out by 6:30am, and the council has a workaround for caddy lids that will not lock. What goes in, what does not.
Council
Worthing Lido: council takes over as repair works begin
Worthing Borough Council is taking over the Lido after its long-serving tenant quit, with repairs now under way and a new operator sought later in 2026.