A TOP marketing guru is to be brought back to Tavistock this spring — a move intended to boost business but which has also sparked criticism of local authorities in the area. Tavistock Forward, the town's business association and the chamber of commerce are funding the return to the town of Graham Vallis, the consultant who oversaw the Town Alive programme in 2001. Tavistock Forward chairman John Taylor said dozens of businesses and organisations took part in the original programme. The brainstorming meetings and consultations produced hundreds of ideas to improve the profile of the town and boost business and provided a springboard for many successes. Mr Taylor said: 'We now have an expanding annual music and arts festival, we have an incredibly popular food festival, we have an award-winning farmers' market — so many good things are happening here and we want to make the most of it. 'Graham Vallis is such a motivator and with the backing of the business community, I think this will take on its own head of steam.' Mr Taylor said it was hoped with Mr Vallis's help, the business community could come up with a unified approach to marketing and promoting Tavistock, in the light of its recent World Heritage Site designation. But he was critical of West Devon Borough Council and Tavistock Town Council, which rejected grant applications by Tavistock Forward to help fund Mr Vallis's return visit. 'We've just been designated as a new World Heritage site, we've won lots of awards and yet there seems to be a lack of vision by local authorities, with no long term strategy to take the town forward and make the most of our success and heritage,' said Mr Taylor. 'Our local authorities are so negative — we have all these good things happening and they won't help — we are fed up with it. They're just interested in ticking boxes.' Georgina Elias, proprietor of Georgina's Pets and a member of Tavistock Business Association, said: 'I think Graham should be brought back. Things have changed considerably and we need a bit of help to get us going in the right direction, especially with the new shopping centres in Plymouth and Exeter.' Ms Elias was 'very disappointed' the councils had not offered any support to bring such a top class consultant back to Tavistock and felt their reaction was 'backward-looking' and narrow-minded. Nigel Eadie, of Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, said his group was fully behind re-visiting the Town Alive programme. 'It achieved a huge amount last time, it created such interest and enthusiasm and there's still more yet to be done in Tavistock. There's certainly been greater activity in the town in the last couple of years — I think such a programme will be even better received.' Mr Eadie said given the success of Town Alive, any local council would be 'crazy' not to want to get involved. Graham Vallis said he was extremely impressed by the enthusiastic and forward-looking attitude of businesses in the town when he last came to Tavistock. 'On the back of World Heritage designation, I see this as a really good opportunity to get together and come up with a marketing plan, to see what competition Tavistock has and come up with something unique, that sets it apart from the crowd,' he said. David Incoll, West Devon Borough Council chief executive, said the council was working with the town and business community, including members of Tavistock Forward, to set up a unified body to take town projects forward. He said everyone involved was 'very positive' and he was 'surprised' at claims the council was being negative. Town clerk Roger Howard said town councillors had not supported Tavistock Forward's application for funding because they felt other bodies were already working on projects to boost the town.
