Public spat over £10k Hungerford windfall

At stake is how best to promote Hungerford as a tourist destination - and who gets to decide how the cash is spent.
The rift came into the open at a meeting of the full council where the penultimate agenda item was “Consider proposal to set up tourist committee.”
As the council prepared to vote, David Small, who is a town councillor and a Chamber member. warned: “You will really upset the Chamber of Commerce.”
The disagreement was sparked by the windfall from the Government’s Town Team Partner scheme to enable the revitalisation plans of the Marketing Hungerford Group established by chamber members.
The chamber considers that it won the cash for the town and should have a major say in how to spend it.
But town mayor Martin Crane said before the meeting: “The chamber can’t access these funds at the moment, so we need a vehicle. It is expected that the town council will now form a bone fide tourism and economy committee that will absorb the council's duty to develop tourism and continue to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce and the Town and Manor, who hold title to many of this town's precious assets.”
But when Mr Crane told the full council meeting that it was necessary to establish the committee, Mr Small warned: “Don’t jump the gun - you will really upset the Chamber of Commerce, I can tell you.”
And when Mr Crane proceeded to put the matter to the vote and the meeting agreed the proposal, Mr Small said: “That’s killed the whole thing.”
Afterwards Mr Crane said: “The money came as a result of the marketing group initiative but how it’s spent isn’t entirely up to them. The initiative for promoting tourism is a joint responsibility and the money is currently lodged with West Berkshire Council.”
But Mr Small said after the meeting: “I was very surprised and upset this was put forward at the meeting.”
He said the council was “jumping the gun” because the Chamber had wanted to wait until advice could be sought from the advisory group Action for Market Towns.
And Chamber of Commerce chairman Nigel Perrin said: “Unfortunately the Marketing Hungerford Group has decided it doesn’t want executive powers so a new group must be established to access and spend the money.
“It’s a bit of a co-incidence that the town council has suddenly decided to establish a tourism sub committee now there’s money available. They didn’t seem to have much interest previously.”
He added: “I think people would be very upset if the cash went just to the council. To be truly representative it should be a body comprising members of the chamber, the Town and Manor and Hungerford Town Council.”