THE work and worth of Crediton Chamber of Commerce has been vigorously defended by it's co-chairman, Dimitri Coryton.

There has been criticism of the action, or lack of action, by the Chamber of Commerce of late, most notably by Crediton Town Council.

A Freedom of Information request by the Courier reveals that letters from Crediton Town Council to Crediton Chamber of Commerce, sent in August, have still received no reply or acknowledgement.

Writing on behalf of the town council, Mrs Clare Dalley, the town clerk, wrote in her second letter: "Following my recent letter concerning Crediton Christmas illuminations, as I have had no response, I am assuming that the Chamber agrees with the proposals made.

"Whilst writing, I would advise you that the Council has received several complaints from Crediton businesses regarding the inactivity of the Crediton Chamber of Commerce.

"Its website advertises monthly meetings but these do not seem to have happened for some time, which causes concern to the businesses, because it denies them the opportunity to raise and discuss issues concerning the Town.

"This is made more poignant as subscriptions to the Chamber of Commerce are still being made and received, without any consultation and obvious benefit. It has been queried what is happening to this money and when the accounts were last audited and published?

"It has also been brought to the council's attention that the money allocated to the Chamber of Commerce from the High Street Innovation Fund has been withdrawn by Mid Devon District Council due to the non-delivery of the schemes proposed.

"Crediton Town Council would welcome your thoughts and comments on all of the above and wonder if a meeting would be beneficial to clarify issues."

The letter was addressed to Ms Chris Nicholl, co-chairman of Crediton Chamber of Commerce.

Fellow co-chairman, Dimitri Coryton, told the Courier: "Crediton Chamber of Commerce is as healthy as ever."

He continued: "Our finances are quite good and recently we have made a contribution to the flower displays in the town."

While he said he did not deal with the Christmas lights and trees issue, he said that he believed it was quite possible that the town clerk had sent the emails to an old email address, which was now not in use.

TO READ THE FULL RESPONSE FROM THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PLEASE SEE ISSUE 956