THREE months after announcing a last-ditch attempt to revive Hexham's Business Improvement District, members of a new board of directors have confirmed the company will be wound up.

Local business people Cameron Jamieson, Hannah Swann, and Jason Robinson-Gay stepped forward to take on the organisation in the midst of a consultation over its future, and announced in May that they believed a second ballot to focus the operating area on the town centre should be considered.

The proposal to reduce the number of levy paying businesses within the scheme by more than half, to just 300, came after the previous six directors resigned en masse last year in the face of widespread criticism over how the BID was being operated.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the three directors claimed their proposals had support across the town.

"Many of the businesses we have spoken to about the BID and plans to re-draw the boundary around the town centre are in favour and it seems likely the rebooting of Hexham BID could be successful.

"A number of businesses had very valid worries about increased costs at a time when many businesses were tightening their belt, some felt disengaged for political reasons concerning the responsibility of the proposed works by the BID. Some felt the board didn’t represent them enough," the statement from the three directors said.

"These issues could and would have been worked through given the proper due process.

"Much time and effort had been put in by the original directors on schemes that, if completed, would have benefited not only the commercial part of our town but importantly the residential side too, making Hexham a more desirable place to situate new business."

However, the directors added that securing the future of the BID would not be feasible while a minority of businesses were still against the scheme.

The announcement ends by suggesting that Northumberland County Council had been instructed to terminate the BID arrangements, and that remaining levy funds would be returned to the council.

Northumberland County Council has been contacted for comment.