MINEHEAD'S visitor and information centre has undergone changes at the top in a bid to aid its long term viability. The facility recently relocated from its former base in The Avenue to the newly revamped Beach Hotel, alongside a café and museum. But as part of a package of cost-cutting measures designed to ensure the continuation of the service, centre leaders have reluctantly accepted the resignation of manager Jill Homewood. Minehead Chamber of Trade chairman Graham Sizer, who is also a member of the Minehead Development Trust which runs the centre, said when it opened two years ago it had been hoped, with transitional funding from both West Somerset Council and Minehead Town Council, to make it self-sustaining within four years. "Our ideas were ambitious and in many ways a great things have been achieved," he said. Mr Sizer said the footfall figures had improved immensely from the previous district council-run purpose-built centre on the seafront. "However, making a full-time post work when the vast amount of practical help to tourists happened over a five-month period was always going to be a challenge. "Some of the transitional funding has been put on hold and this has affected our plans." Mr Sizer said around £14,000 of funding from the district council was hopefully in the pipeline but had not been forthcoming because it was linked to the proposed Hinkley C development. Further grant aid was also being sought from the town council but retail income generated by the centre had fallen below expectations, which had also had an impact. The team of staff was offered new contracts during the winter to take the business forward but Ms Homewood decided to leave. "Jill's decision was a big blow," said Mr Sizer. "Jill and I have worked very closely on chamber initiatives over many years, where she holds the post of secretary, and her background and ability to look outside the box and try something new made her a front runner when we initially recruited. "She brought forward new ideas that were broadly welcomed by the business community and residents and it will now be sad to see her look for challenges elsewhere. "Thankfully, we have retained her voluntary time in the chamber." The team will now be headed by former deputy manager Lena Bond, assisted by Dawn Aze who was a part-time recruit in the centre's first two years, along with new member of staff Emma Savage, who brings IT skills. Mr Sizer said the centre was also fortunate to have a good group of volunteers but organisers were always looking for more, particularly those with a good knowledge of the local area. He said the Chamber of Trade continued to ratchet up business funding into the centre through joint initiatives. "We hope to prove that even with reduced funding we can deliver the same level of professionalism expected from an information centre that encompasses the whole of West Somerset."