BRIGHTON Wheel bosses have pledged their future to the city after Worthing approached them in an attempt to poach the attraction.

Wheel owners said they would not entertain a move at the moment after officers from Worthing Borough Council contacted them about shifting the ride 11 miles to the west.

The Wheel’s licence is due to run out in April 2016 but last month we revealed they had applied to stay next to Palace Pier for another five years.

This is despite the rival i360 attraction opening less than a mile away at the old entrance to the West Pier next summer.

With the future of the Wheel post April 2016 in doubt, bosses at Worthing Borough Council approached the company with a view to bringing it to the resort.

The plan attracted the support of councillors and businesses in Worthing, but it appears the Wheel is going nowhere.

A spokesman for the Wheel said: “It is not something we would entertain at the moment. We are firmly committed to Brighton.

“There has been an approach, there have been many approaches in fact. But it is the Brighton Wheel, it always has been.

“Our commitment is first and foremost to ensure the jobs we have here, investment and in terms of Brighton and Hove City Council, the rent. We are totally dedicated to Brighton.”

The spokesman added that many other local authorities and private groups had registered an interest.

However, he reiterated that for the time being, the Wheel is going nowhere.

He said: “We are committed to Brighton, we have just spent £500,000 investing in the base and we have no intention of moving.

“We are part of the seafront and part of Brighton. The wheel is now formally established and we are part of life here.

“It is obviously a very exclusive and very attractive wheel. It was made by Dutch Wheel who are the leading company in the world.”

Background

The Brighton Wheel opened just to the east of the Palace Pier in October 2011 and attracted 260,000 visitors alone in the first year.

Bosses claim by staying until 2021, as they intend, it would bring £12.6 million into the city economy. It would also secure 51 full-time jobs and bring £1 million of income to the city council in rent and business rates.

They claim it would also allow for any delays in the introduction of the i360.