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.

Worthing Borough Council is taking over the Lido on the town’s promenade after its long-serving tenant decided to end his tenancy, and a programme of repair and improvement works began in the week of 7 August. The council says it will look for a new tenant once the works are complete, with details of the opportunity to be shared later this year. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

The handover follows months of the council working with the head tenant on maintenance issues at the seafront attraction. Earlier this year the tenant temporarily closed the amusements and children’s rides in the Lido’s central area so that essential remedial works could be carried out safely. As those works progressed, the council says, it became clear the investment required exceeded the tenant’s available resources, and he chose to bring the tenancy to an end. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

The council will shortly take on responsibility for the site and begin essential repairs, including preparing the central open-air area for use once again. The independent businesses trading from the building, including the cafe, are unaffected and continue as normal. The council describes the works as a first step in a wider regeneration of the Lido, and says it is still applying for the external funding its long-term restoration needs. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

Timeline of the Worthing Lido handover: amusements and children's rides closed for remedial works earlier in 2026, the council announced its takeover and began repair works in the week of 7 August 2026, and a search for a new tenant opens later in 2026
Graphic by The Worthing Express

Councillor Caroline Baxter, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: “The lido is one of our town’s most recognisable landmarks and this investment marks the beginning of a new chapter for its future. By taking action now, we’re making the site safer, enabling the independent businesses to continue trading, including the cafe, while we develop plans for the wider regeneration that residents have told us they want to see.” She thanked the outgoing tenant, local MPs and the new Worthing Lido Community Group, and added: “This will take time and will require us to work with a range of partners and secure significant external investment, but we’re determined to give our iconic landmark the future it deserves.” (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

The Lido works sit alongside the council’s Pride in Worthing initiative, a sustained programme to improve the town centre, seafront and surrounding neighbourhoods, which the council says will spend hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on keeping the heart of the town cleaner, greener and better maintained. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 27 July 2026)

What it means for you

The Lido is not closing. The shops and cafe operating from the building carry on trading through the works, and the council says the aim is to reopen the central open-air area once repairs are done. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

The amusements stay shut for now. The central area’s rides and amusements were closed earlier this year for safety work and will need the repair programme to finish, and a new operator to be found, before that part of the attraction comes back to life. No reopening date has been given. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

If you run an attractions or leisure business, the council says it will begin seeking a new tenant “with the vision and experience to help bring the historic attraction back to life” once the works are complete, with more details promised later this year. (Adur and Worthing Councils, 7 August 2026)

For other seafront and family options while the central area is out of action, see our guide to things to do in Worthing.