Concerns have been raised about the impact of plans to dissolve Exeter's city centre management partnership in the lead-up to Christmas.
The partnership – which brings together council and business representatives to promote the High Street and surrounding area – is set to be wound up on November 28.
It is unclear what will happen to the city centre manager post – held by John Harvey since 1997 – at the end of the financial year.
Exeter City Council has blamed a funding shortfall for the sudden decision to dissolve the partnership, after Devon County Council withdrew its £20,000 a year contribution.
In a letter to members, partnership chairman David Shawyer and Councillor Rosie Denham, Exeter's portfolio holder for economy and culture, argued that "the future focus of effort and resource has to come from" the proposed Business Improvement District.
A vote on establishing a BID will be held in February. If approved by a majority of businesses in the area, it would start operating in April.
But with the letter noting that "a successful vote is far from guaranteed", some have questioned why the partnership is being wound up now.
Guildhall Shopping Centre manager Andrew McNeilly described the decision as "insane".
He said: "I can completely understand that if the BID is successful there's no place for the partnership.
"So if a BID is created we need to put in place an exit strategy for the partnership, when it would be dissolved and the relevant parties are able to potentially apply for a position within the BID partnership.
"But I'm at a complete loss to understand the insanity of a decision to get rid of the partnership a month before Christmas and leave us with no ambassadorial representation for the city centre, and therefore no coordination between local authority teams and local businesses."
Councillor Denham said activities undertaken in managing the city centre would continue to be carried out in the interim. But Mr McNeilly was unconvinced, arguing that the city centre manager performed an important ambassadorial role, as well as communicating information and coordinating activities.
"I don't know who has authorised this but they should take a look around the country and see how many other cities don't have city centre managers – why should Exeter?" he said.
"There's an assumption that if the BID is successful somehow this will magically be in place from April 1, but engaging the right individuals to run it could take three months, so actually we could be talking about eight months without a city centre manager.
"And if the BID doesn't go through, then what?
"It just seems insane. From a business perspective, I do not understand the logic."
Mr McNeilly, a member and former chairman of the city centre management partnership board, also criticised the way the move to scrap the body had been handled, adding: "I have a significant number of concerns, and as a financially contributing board member frankly I'm pretty disgusted that I wasn't even consulted."
Explaining why she is recommending that the partnership be dissolved, Councillor Denham said: "Devon County Council has ended its £20,000-a-year contribution to the partnership.
"Funding has always been split between the two councils and private business and therefore the unilateral withdrawal from city centre management means that it is appropriate that a new governance emerges for the city centre led by the private sector."
Councillor Denham added: "Under Andrew's chairmanship in 2013 of the city centre management partnership board, the county council withdrew from the partnership and withdrew its funding.
"Sadly, there has been no proposal on the table to replace that funding or indeed to come up with any other financial model for funding the activities of the board.
"Although the board was refreshed last year, and the chairman and others tried to increase membership, the board has been unable to meet. Therefore, in practice we ceased to have a functioning partnership, against this background the board chairman and I have written to the members of the partnership to formally consider dissolving the partnership.
"It is right that the partners of the board are consulted on the future and that is exactly what the letter to the membership has done."
Mr Shawyer, franchisee of McDonald's in Exeter High Street, added: "There is a pressing need to review how the private sector can and should take up the leadership and resourcing of whatever approach is now needed to the threats and opportunities specifically facing Exeter's city centre businesses."
He added: "The proposed Business Improvement District provides a real opportunity for businesses to work together, supported by the city council, to effectively shape the future of the city.
"We should work hard collectively, putting all our efforts toward a successful vote and the implementation of a range of successful projects to enable the city centre to thrive. A successful vote is far from guaranteed and the levy payers will need to work well together to establish the BID before it can develop a more strategic role."
Wayne Pearce, Princesshay centre manager, said: "From our point of view the introduction of the BID, which we expect to go ahead in the spring, would mean that a number of activities which would have previously been undertaken by the city centre management partnership would now be carried out by the BID company.
"I don't have any particular concerns about Christmas because planning for most of the activities like the lights takes place earlier in the year so these plans are already in place.
"I'm confident that the outcome of the ballot this time will be a 'yes' vote, and that there will be a smooth transition."
Mr Harvey said he was unable to comment at this stage.
