OKEHAMPTON's businesses and economy could be boosted by the introduction of a dedicated town centre manager, a meeting heard last week.

During the town council's properties committee meeting, Cllr Paul Vachon outlined his ideas for the post.

He said such a person would be responsible for establishing links with businesses, groups and agencies within the Okehampton area, and for identifying and implementing any marketing or promotional needs to improve the economy of the town.

Cllr Vachon said he thought the post would require two days a week to fulfill the duties. These would include collating and publishing a town events diary, producing a marketing strategy, promotional materials and liaison with outside agencies and tourist attractions.

He said: 'One of the biggest draws we have in Okehampton is Dartmoor — we are one of the most important centres for outdoor pursuits in the country. Promoting out of season events will be a key issue.'

He said the concept arose out of the Destination Okehampton working group meetings.

'We are looking at two ways of doing this — they could be funded by the town council or we could make it a self-funding position.

'The principle is about trying to get people back into the town and the surrounding communities.'

Cllr Vachon said there were various ways the job could be funded if the manager was not an employee of the town council. He suggested that businesses in the town could contribute a percentage towards the salary, which he estimated to be around £15,000 — there could also be grant funding available.

Cllr Kevin Ball said the idea was a 'really good' concept.

'It would be an imaginative job and it's important we clearly define all the aspects of it,' he said.

Cllr Kay Bickley said the role would 'need some creativity': 'It's very much about promoting Okehampton as a tourist destination, and also bringing people back into the town. The reasons for coming to Okehampton are very different — there are two distinct aspects to this role.'

Cllr Mike Davies said: 'In general I think having a town manager is a good thing, but we need to know who they are going to be accountable to, who they would report to.'

Cllr Michael Ireland said the way forward should be to do a feasibility study on the role of a town manager, to take the concept to fruition.

Cllr Vachon agreed to take this on and will report back to the next meeting of the properties committee.