Town management in Petersfield has failed and Christmas lights could be a thing of the past Ð that was the bleak picture painted by directors of Petersfield Marketing Limited as they stood down last week.

Maggi Bennett, the outgoing chairman, said the company had failed to get businesses in Petersfield on side and the money had dried up.

ÒWe have failed to persuade businesses to fund us,Ó she said. ÒOne of our first remits was to achieve sustainable funding. I do not know why we failed to do it.Ó

The company, set up three years ago to bring professional town management to Petersfield, has now thrown down the gauntlet and appealed for others to take up the challenge.

The majority of funding for the project had come from the tax-payer, with grants from both East Hampshire District Council and Petersfield Town Council making up the lionÕs share of the income.

Both councils agreed to fund the project for an initial three-year period, but said after that it would have to stand on its own two feet.

Now the time is up and directors admitted they are still no closer to achieving

sustainability.

With time and money running out PetersfieldÕs town manager has gone and the Christmas lights look set to follow.

At a public meeting to discuss the future of the company last week, Mrs Bennett said: ÒBecause we have lost the town manager and it is the end of the three years, it seemed to be a nice break. Rather than lurching on month by month we decided to wipe the slate clean.

ÒA town manager cannot work in Petersfield because there is no funding. We are now saying to the town Ôover to youÕ.Ó

She added: ÒIt is not the end of town management, it is the end of employing a town manager until funding can be found.

But Mrs Bennett said the project had notched up some achievements in its three-year history including bringing popular French markets back to the town, running classic car shows in the The Square and offering assistance to small businesses.

She said she was disappointed that negotiations for the licence of The Square with EHDC had not come to fruition but added that that option was still open to anyone taking over the company.

PetersfieldÕs Christmas lights caused controversy last year when many in the town felt they were below par.

It was the first year that Petersfield Marketing Limited had taken on the job of illuminating the town and directors admitted that it had not been a success.

Chris Loversidge, a leading figure on the voluntary Christmas Lights Committee that disbanded in 2001, helped town manger Steve Johnston with last yearÕs display.

She told the meeting: ÒAs you have probably all realised things were not quite as they should have been last year. The way forward looks very bleak indeed.Ó

She said that increasing insurance costs, red tape and bureaucracy could spell the end for Christmas lights in Petersfield.

ÒI cannot see a way forward regardless of what happens to Petersfield Marketing Limited,Õ she said.

ÒIt will affect the whole town. The coverage in the press last year showed how much the public are interested.Ó

The directors of Petersfield Marketing Limited, Maggi Bennett, Trevor Boyden and Trevor Towner, stated that they would keep the company running for a further three months to allow interested parties to come forward and take over.

But the meeting was poorly attended, with very few businesses represented.

Many district and town councillors did attend the meeting and Gill Towner, wife of current PML director Trevor Towner, called on them to show leadership.

ÒWhat concerns me is the amount of money being offered to fund a town centre manager is tiny compared with what comes back from the government in uniform business rates,Ó she said.

ÒOur taxation needs to come back. People cannot afford to pay insurance rates, National Insurance and contribute to something else. The businesses are so depressed.Ó

She added: ÒWe need leadership from the district council. If we lose the Christmas lights and we cannot fund Petersfield in Bloom what is the town coming to?Ó

But district council leader, Mrs Elizabeth Cartwright, said the ball was firmly in the businesses court.

She said: ÒThe district council would have supported it this year had the businesses shown some interest.Ó

Others felt that income could be generated through the town itself.

Sal Cardu, who runs his City Explorer map company from the town, said that community was the key to moving forward.

ÒI have gone to the large majority of businesses in the area and one thing has surprised me, the majority of them never met the town manager and some people didnÕt know there was a town manager. You have to get out there and beat the streets.Ó

He added: ÒPetersfield has so much to offer if the community support comes back, but it will take somebody local who feels they are part of that community.Ó

Andy Millar, a prominent member of PetersfieldÕs sporting community, told the meeting that The Square was the key to future income.

ÒThe key to funding is the use of The Square. It is quite unique in Hampshire. We will be inside a National Park soon, it is a big opportunity,Ó he said.