Allegations of "negativity" by leaders in a Cornish town prompted retail guru Mary Portas to withdraw her offer to re-brand the town.
Much fanfare was made when television's queen of shops was drafted-in under the Government's £100,000 scheme to revamp the high street in Liskeard.
Members of the Liskeard Town Team (LTT) who are working with Ms Portas confirmed the re-branding offer has now been withdrawn. But they insist she is still involved in reviving the town's fortunes.
Ms Portas and her film crew have been in Liskeard filming scenes for a programme due to be broadcast in the New Year, along with her PR firm Yellow Door. In August, the retail expert told a packed public meeting she would create a brand for Liskeard and came up with three options.
However minutes of a recent LTT meeting read: "Yellow Door has withdrawn offer to generate three brand options.
"Reasons given as 'negativity' in Liskeard (LTT)."
In an article in the Cornish Times, LTT were reported as holding a meeting where member Allison Livingstone read out an email she had sent to its executive board.
It read: "We lost the branding because of the way this executive behaved.
"I believe some people have lost faith in the Town Team, and I am one of those people.
"If I'm in a minority of one, then perhaps the most effective course of action is for me to leave.
"However, if I am not in the minority, then I think we need to seriously look at what's gone wrong, and how we can fix it, for all our sakes."
Speaking afterwards to the newspaper she went onto say: "I spoke from the heart, it doesn't mean I was right, but I said what I felt.
"In my working life, I have always been used to proceeding at a much faster pace and I am fast-results orientated, so I have found some of the aspects of the Town Team frustrating."
She has since resigned from LTT and could not be contacted by the Western Morning News for a comment.
Rachel Brooks, LTT secretary, who was at the meeting said "negativity" was the wrong choice of word.
She said: "Mary put forward three re-branding options which we felt the people of Liskeard needed to be consulted on.
"Unfortunately because of the filming schedule there wasn't time for consultation to take place so the offer was withdrawn.
"It wasn't a question of negativity – it was a question of lots of people involved in the process in Liskeard having different ideas which is bound to happen in any organisation."
Sally Hawken, LTT chairman, added: "We have not been abandoned – as it were – because Mary and Yellow Door are still offering advice and support along with the other Portas Projects."
