THE resignation of the Devizes Centre manager, after such a short period of time, highlights I feel the lack of leadership the lead agencies have shown towards the economic regeneration of our town.

Even prior to her appointment there were numerous arguments about the level of funding each agency was going to contribute and who the post holder was really reporting to.

Yet barely a year into her post she resigns for "personal reasons".

This town deserves better leadership, particularly from Kennet District Council, which supposedly oversees economic development as one of its functions.

Never before have the problems of sustainability in Devizes been so acute.

With 2,500 to 3,000 new homes coming on stream in the next five years we need a council that is going to respond to the fragility of the town's retail base and its chronic lack of employment opportunities.

You just need to look at two of our neighbouring towns, Trowbridge and Chippenham. New employment sites are coming on stream at a very fast rate in tandem with its growth in population.

Yet Devizes has hardly filled the Hopton Industrial Estate and hopes of a retail development on the central car park remain just a pipedream.

The time for endless economic surveys lining the pockets of consultants are gone.

We know what the problems are. What we need is immediate action to remedy these problems.

What we need is Kennet District Council in particular but also Devizes Town Council and Devizes Development Partnership working in union and not trying to protect their own power bases. This has to be Kennet's number one target.

It needs the energy, vision and drive of all its councillors and principal officers from the leader of the council and chief executive down.

If immediate action is not taken I feel in a couple of years' time we should change the gateway signs into town with the inscription Welcome to the Dormitory Town of Devizes.

Sustainability is a key objective, supposedly nationally and locally.

I feel at the moment Kennet District Council has paid only lip service to that notion.

I HOPKINS

Devizes