A KEY player in Maidstone's business community is quitting his post, saying his job has been frustrated by money shortages.

David Spink said his task as town centre manager attracting business into Maidstone has been blighted by under-investment from traders and Kent County Council.

Referring to the "never-ending task of trying to raise money" for his work, he said: "Hundreds of businesses have sought advice and information from us without having contributed a penny."

Mr Spink, who leaves Maidstone in June, bemoaned a reduction in funding for his work from Kent County Council which he said had slumped from £15,000 per year when he started in the post four years ago, to a current figure of just £2,500.

Mr Spink, who is to become a marketing and development manager for Peterborough, in Cambridge, complained about under-investment for initiatives aimed at boosting trade.

These included the town's Christmas lights display and Maidstone's shopmobility scheme where for a limited charge, disabled people hire an electric scooter or wheelchair to travel around the town.

"We have enormous difficulty in getting money to support these things," he said, "and recently we had to close shopmobility for three days because we couldn't afford a huge rise in the insurance premium."

Mr Spink stressed that despite the problems he had raised Maidstone's business profile.

He listed among his achievements in Maidstone progress over the long-awaited Fremlins Walk shopping centre and his influence over the future of the riverside site next to St Peter's Street, where he has wanted high-quality housing rather than retail.

He was proud of introducing events in the town centre including craft, wedding and job fairs.

Paul Alcock, manager of Maidstone Chequers Centre, said: "David has done a lot for Maidstone and I appreciate the time has come when he must move on. We need to build on the successes David has created."