The chairman of Helston's business group has spoken of his fears for the future of the town as he reacted to the town council's response to their final request for support.

The town council voted against extending Helston Business Improvement Partnership officer Shirley Moralee's contract by a further three months, to investigate creating a community interest company (CIC) to manage events, believing the two months that remain should be plenty.

But the partnership's chairman Andy Perry insisted that two months simply wasn't long enough, explaining: "We need to wind HBIP down in its current form. There's a lot of loose ends to tie up. And Shirley needs to look for another job, and as an employer that's our responsibility to let her do that if her job is coming to an end.

"She is a professional and will do what she can, but in two months, it's not enough time."

Ms Moralee explained that the process involved meeting and speaking to all the different community groups and co-ordinating their events into one calendar.

"At the end of the day, they [the council] are asking for validated evidence to see if this would work. To do that it's not something that will take five minutes," she added.

Mr Perry added: "I do feel, along with other members of HBIP, there's a lack of faith. The general understanding of what is needed to run a town centre for businesses, along with the other community groups, I don't think was grasped.

"I don't think they realise the amount of work that will be involved. It's a full time role for Shirley to co-ordinate HBIP and the businesses in the town, and it's more than that for a CIC."

He was of the opinion that by the end of that extra three months, Ms Moralee could have actually developed a CIC that would have been up and running to take over when she left, which they told councillors at a private meeting last Tuesday.

"This was the only feasible way we could see forward," added Mr Perry. "We made it very clear that we would investigate and have one set up."

Mr Perry feared the "impetus" in the town, particularly in terms of events, will now be lost, adding: "The process of forming a CIC and having someone to run it takes time. You can't plan these things three weeks before; Christmas events we start talking about in April."

Ms Moralee agreed: "There is a phenomenal volunteer base of people willing to be involved, but little pockets here and there - no one is aware of what the other is doing. The idea of the CIC was to bring all those organisations together."

She also believed the town would not realise what had been lost until after HBIP was no longer in existence - something that is due to happen around the end of March.

"People will say, 'Where's the hanging baskets, where's the Town Tidy, where's the Christmas events and the Visit Helston website?'" she added.

But Mr Perry said: "The biggest thing for us is losing Shirley. She has done an incredible job, above the remit we set her."

He described the end of HBIP, which he has been an integral part of since its formation in 2012, as "gut wrenching".

Confirming that she will work out the remaining two months on her contract, Ms Moralee responded to councillor comments that she could not expect to be paid for "doing nothing" saying: "In the one hand you're being asked to wind a company up you've worked for and on the other hand you're being asked to start up a different one. That's hard for anyone.

"But yes, I will continue the best I can in my professional manner."