THE chairman of Weymouth BID is set to quit his role due to work commitments.

Steve Newstead, who has been chairman for four years, did not attend the BID's AGM at the Pavilion Ocean Room last night.

The meeting was attended by 50 businesses people who heard about last year's projects as well as future plans for the BID including the 2018 Renewal Campaign.

Mr Newstead said in a statement: “I have given notice to the Board of Weymouth BID of my intention to step down as Chairman of the Weymouth BID as soon as a suitable replacement can be found due to work commitments, job role change and location.

"I have enjoyed my time at Weymouth BID over the past six years. I was part of the initial Steering Group, appointed on the first Board of Directors and I accepted the role of chairman in 2014.

"During the past four years as chairman of the Weymouth BID, I have met many interesting people and worked on lots of challenging projects and events such as Waterfest event, the PubWatch scheme and the introduction of Weymouth's first real ice rink in 2015."

He added: "I would like to wish the new Board of Directors well and sincerely hope that a new chairman is appointed soon, to enable the Board to achieve a successful "yes" vote for a second term of the Weymouth BID."

The Weymouth BID Board is looking for new directors and steering group members to come forward from the business community to ensure that a good cross section of business sectors are represented on the board.

In particular they are looking for representation from independent retail businesses and the service sector.

Anyone interested should apply to info@weymouthbid.co.uk or contact the BID Office on 01305 779410.

See next week's Echo for a full report on the BID AGM.

  •  A 'Coffee with Claudia' session will be held on Monday, February 12, between 3pm and 4pm. This session is a time where people can have an informal conversation with the chief operations officer of the BID, to voice their suggestions, views and opinions. The session will take place at number 98 Boutique Hotel on the Esplanade.