A COUNCILLOR who shared his hopes and views for the future of Beales has been criticised for not remaining positive about Hexham.

Last week, county councillor Derek Kennedy put forward his vision for the building, which closed last month and has since been boarded up, saying he hoped it could be developed into a business hub which would host various small businesses.

At this week’s meeting of Hexham Town Council, mayor Bob Hull accused Coun. Kennedy of “coming a little bit late to this”. He added: “The town council has looked very carefully at this and has looked at all the possibilities in great detail with the county council and I think there is a probability that in the coming months there will be a very good plan that comes forward for that site.”

Coun. Trevor Cessford said plans could not be shared as they were commercially sensitive, but the £5m allocated to Hexham town centre in the county council’s budget, along with funding expected from Historic England’s High Street heritage Action Zone, were positive for the town. He said: “I’m getting fed up of people attacking Hexham all the time.”

Coun. Kennedy said later in the meeting: “I know I am the only non-conservative councillor around here, an independent, and I have a view of what I think of the town and I will constantly and always give that view.”

He called the boarding up of Beales ‘unsightly’ and ‘horrific’ and added: “I want what’s good for Hexham like you do and I haven’t been party to all these hidden discussions going on in the county council, because they don’t tell me things.”

Coun. Cessford said the council was working with Buccleuch Property, the building’s landlord, to improve the appearance of the boards.