Steve CoxGAZETTE & HERALD: North Wiltshire Festival 2004 is in jeopardy after project leader Steve Cox made a shock decision on Friday to resign.

Steve Cox was employed by North Wiltshire District Council to take the helm of the £100,000 business, leisure and community event but following criticism from members last week he washed his hands of the whole event and walked away.

Now the district council is left to pick up the pieces with just four months to go and the festival board will decide on Friday if the popular project can be rescued.

The board will also find out how much has already been spent to get the festival going but district council leader Coun Ruth Coleman refused to reveal how much council tax-payers' money has already been spent on Mr Cox's salary on the grounds of confidentiality.

However Coun Ruth Coleman and festival lead member Coun Ross Henning were upbeat about the prospects for the festival's survival and were determined the show must go on.

Coun Henning revealed they had a provisional booking for Abba tribute band Bjorn Again to headline at the Saturday night concert. And he said Dave Taraskevics was still on board to organise the event, which could attract thousands of people.

"We will have to make sure everything in place is still do-able there has been a break in the chain and we have to tie the loose ends together," he said.

Mr Cox was appointed last July to run the three-day festival and announced a vision for a new-look event with the theme of talent, with new ideas to involve the six towns and get business engaged in activities.

He also had to raise £100,000 funding to pay for the event. He had said some £52,000 had already been committed by local companies, including Wavin, but problems finally broke the surface last week when members of the festival board complained they were kept in the dark about the festival and what was actually happening.

Coun Henning said he did not know the reasons for Mr Cox's resignation and that he was sorry to see him go.

"He had put in a tremendous amount of work. He had drive and enthusiasm and his vision for the festival. He has given us strong building blocks."

Coun Henning suggested Mr Cox found it difficult working in the political atmosphere and Coun Coleman said lessons could be learned on inducting staff into working in a political process and reporting back.

But fellow festival board member Coun John Thomson said that was a load of rubbish.

He said: "It's not to do with politics, but a fundamental problem in the district council," he said.

"It's not fair to single out one man. Communication was the main failure, as well as the relationship between Ross Henning and Steve Cox.

"Ross Henning was too closely involved and lost sight of the fact he was the allocated representative of the tax payer."

Board member Coun Roy Jackson, who raised the alarm about the situation last week, said: "We do not really know what was going on and we shall have to look through the records to find out," he said.

"I didn't think Steve Cox was a quitter, but there you go. He impressed me when I talked to him, but I wonder if he was just all talk."

Major sponsor Wavin's human resources director Peter Curtis said he was disappointed councillors had decided to debate their concerns in public rather than keeping the sponsors informed.

"Up to the present moment there has been no contact from the district council on this matter," he said.

"I hope that the problem of Mr. Cox's resignation will be quickly overcome by a suitable replacement and that the festival will go ahead.

"Failure to do so is likely to affect Wavin's attitude towards any future sponsorship as this is not the first time that disorganisation at the district council has put events at risk."