A THREE-year town marketing trial in Petersfield looks doomed to failure through lack of support and lack of funding.
Petersfield Town Mayor George Watkinson told town councillors that the directors of Petersfield Marketing Limited were set to resign en mass at a specially called public meeting to be held in the Physic Garden on Monday.
The group was set up to promote Petersfield and employ a town centre manager. It was funded for three years by Petersfield Town Council and East Hampshire District Council. But the three-year trial has now ended.
Mr Watkinson said the directors of Petersfield Marketing planned to close down the organisation and would be making a full report to the public meeting.
He added: ÒThey are prepared to carry on for an additional three months if there is a body likely to wish to bid for the management body.Ó
He urged as many town councillors as possible to attend the meeting because the closing down of the group would affect the town with the loss of the town manager and the future of the Christmas lights were once again in doubt.
Mr Watkinson said the town council gave a grant for the setting up of the Christmas lights, which had been undertaken by the town manager with a band of volunteers last year.
He warned that any new group taking over the organisation of the townÕs traditionally spectacular festive display of lights would have stringent health and safety rules to obey.
They would have to pay for £20m insurance cover, said Mr Watkinson, and carry out a building survey of every building in the town which had lighting attached to it.
ÒI think the Health and Safety Executive donÕt believe in Father Christmas,Ó he told the meeting.
PetersfieldÕs town manager Steve Johnston has already
lost his job after the winding up of the Havant Borough Partnership, the group that provided town centre management services for Petersfield.
In a statement from Mr Johnston on Friday, he told The Herald: ÒI will no longer be the Petersfield town manger after
5 pm on Friday, May 30.Ó
Director Trevor Boydon told The Herald: ÒA grant has been given to us by the town council and we are having to fight with East Hampshire District Council. But if you add them together it doesnÕt even pay for the paltry two days a week we have employed the town centre manager. We are very disappointed with the lack of support mainly from the district council. We pay rates, we pay for the disposal of our waste, we pay to park our cars and all we are asking for is a fraction of the tax to be given back to the town.