A new forum for Hexham is to be created following the failure of the town’s Business Improvement District (BID).

Northumberland County Council is set to team up with Hexham Town Council and Hexham Community Partnership to create Hexham Hub to share ideas for the regeneration of the town.

The introduction of the hub comes weeks after the controversial Hexham BID was wound up.

Town Forums will be set up elsewhere in the county, but the body will be known as a hub in Hexham so as not to confuse it with the Forum Cinema.

A spokesman for the county council said: “The town forums will operate under a number of names and there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

“What they do have in common is a shared vision to regenerate their towns and the county.

“The forums will have an oversight of ongoing regeneration projects and will seek to champion the delivery of those projects through a unified programme, consistent with the neighbourhood plan for the town.

“They will work closely with stakeholder groups with an interest in the regeneration of that town, which could include the town council, development trusts, town teams and the chamber of commerce.

“They’ll also co-ordinate public consultations associated with the strategic regeneration of the town.”