PETER Lay, the chairman of Devizes Development Partnership, is demanding a meeting with the chiefs of the district and town councils to decide who town centre manager Janet Duffield should take orders from.

Mr Lay had threatened to sack Mrs Duffield and resign from the partnership after the two councils made what he considered unacceptable demands on Mrs Duffield's workload.

The town centre manager post is financed by Kennet District Council, Devizes Town Council and the local business community for an initial period of three years.

At a recent partnership meeting, Mr Lay launched a verbal attack on Val Powley, Kennet's community partnership liaison officer, when she suggested that the business plan for the second year of Mrs Duffield's employment did not contain sufficient detail on the financial aspects of her employment.

The partnership also funds self-employed public relations expert Susan Rasey as an events co-ordinator, and she has helped

organise several events, including last year's Christmas Market.

Kennet insisted that the figures in the business plan clearly showed which referred to Mrs Duffield's employment and which to Mrs Rasey's.

Mr Lay accused Kennet of trying to impose its will on the democratically reached decisions of the partnership. He wrote to Mrs Powley, demanding that Kennet confirms its financial obligation to the employment of a town centre manager, which amounts to £15,000 a year for three years.

He subsequently received the necessary assurance from the council.

But no sooner had he received this assurance than a letter from Devizes town clerk Sarah Todhunter arrived, insisting that the work programme of the town centre manager should comply with the town council's objectives.

Mr Lay said: "We can't react to their whims. The partnership is

determined to be democratically

independent of local government,

although we recognise that we are a partnership that includes local

government."

Mrs Todhunter said: "The DDP first came to us about funding for a town centre manager in autumn 2003. We made it clear at the time that the town council has no powers in economic development and we could only fund the post with reference to tourism and entertainments.

"It was a very narrow decision by the town council to fund the position. It was not a foregone conclusion by any means. We did not agree to fund any other post than the town centre manager."

Brad Fleet, Kennet's

director of community

services, confirmed that his council was committed to funding the town centre manager post for another two years.

He said: "We are very happy with the work the town centre manager has been carrying out. Indeed, we are very happy with all the work that DDP has been carrying out."

Mr Lay said he now felt confident that the town centre manager post was

secure for the next two years at least.

But he still wants to meet with Mark Boden, Kennet's chief executive, and Mrs Todhunter, to clarify the relationship between the DDP and the local councils.

The appointment of a town centre manager was the main recommendation of a town centre revival strategy commissioned by the DDP from Bournemouth University in 2002.

Kennet District Council and

Devizes Town Council agreed to

contribute funding of £15,000 each a year for three years with a further £10,000 coming from the town's

business community.

Mrs Duffield, who has marketing experience with many large firms, including the Royal Mail, won the post from a shortlist of 16 applicants.

She has spent the 11 months building up a rapport with town

centre businesses, approaching national chains to come to the town and carrying out surveys into the levels of retail activity in the town.