The Cornish Guardian reported this week that Wadebridge Town Councillors have blocked plans to employ a dedicated town centre manager to organise events and help boost trade.

The council says there is no need for the position and it cannot support the proposal.

Employing a manager was an idea the chamber of commerce put forward to the two supermarket giants hoping to open in Wadebridge as part of a financial contribution to the town on gaining planning consent.

Morrisons had offered to fund the post to the tune of £100,000 over three years, and Sainsbury's had said it, too, would consider funding the initiative under a Section 106 planning agreement.

Chamber of commerce chairman Darren Rowe said this week there was a real need for a centre manager, and the town council's decision was disappointing.

The decision of the council not to back the post has ended any hopes of the full-time role being created.

Instead, Wadebridge Town Council favours using the potential financial windfall to set up a community fund to be managed jointly by the chamber and councillors, and to use the money to pay for local projects, with the possibility of employing additional staff to oversee them.

But Mr Rowe feels a town centre manager would have brought many benefits to Wadebridge.

"The chamber members, who are the businesses of the town, feel that the idea of a town centre manager would be very beneficial to them.

"The whole idea of Section 106 monies is to mitigate the impact of a supermarket on the businesses of a town.

"There are so many areas where a dedicated town centre manager can aid the town in remaining vibrant and successful, such as gaining funding from government grants and organisations, helping to organise events in the town, and liaising with all the town groups,'' said Mr Rowe.

"Anyone involved in any voluntary committee will know it takes a considerable amount of time to put events together.

"With exciting developments for the town like the WREN (Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network) scheme, it would be foolish not to give this the time and energy it deserves and a manager could aid in this.

"The town centre manager does not need to be a full-time role, and some of the monies can be used to market the town and ensure we have more events for the people and businesses of the town to enjoy.

"The chamber of commerce and the town council have always worked in partnership, and it is a shame that the council does not share the view of the town's businesses in this matter.''