A DRIVE to make Tavistock a plastic bag-free town received a setback last week after a request for funding received the thumbs down. The project has been launched by Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce, which aims to bulk buy thousands of ethically produced, plastic-free shopping bags, to be made available to as many residents in the town as possible. It is hoped once people have the bags, they will no longer need to use plastic bags provided by shops, thus slowly cutting down the number of bags in circulation which are so harmful to the environment. Graham Skedgell, the chamber?s plastic bag project leader, said a similar initiative in Modbury in the South Hams had proved ?a huge success? and had attracted the attention of local and national media. Mr Skedgell said: ?It represents a remarkable achievement by a small number of people who decided to take positive action. It demonstrates what can be achieved when people decide to make changes in the way they live. ?Achieving the same success in larger towns, such as Tavistock, will be much harder and will take much longer, but that is not a reason for inaction ? a start needs to be made.? The chamber is applying for funding from a variety of organisations, including West Devon Borough Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Plymouth and South West Co-op and Tavistock Town Council. But members of the town council?s finance committee last week decided it was not a project it could financially support. Cllr Mandy Govier, chairman of the committee, said she believed a number of different organisations were ?jumping on the bandwagon?, regarding making the town plastic bag-free and felt they should talk to each other and work together on the project. Cllr Jenny Metcalf said some of the town?s traders were already providing their own re-usable bags. Other members felt it was not an appropriate use of tax payers? money and the chamber should approach the town?s supermarkets for funding. The committee recommended the council support the principle of the project, but saw no need to back it financially ? a recommendation due to be ratified by the full council at its meeting on Tuesday night. Nigel Eadie, chairman of Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce, said he was ?very disappointed? by the lack of support from the council. He said: ?We understand they have financial constraints and limitations, but we think this initiative is the way forward for the town to rid itself of plastic bags and all the damage they do to the environment. ?We will still be going ahead but it would have been nice to have something, even if it was just a token gesture, so they could show their allegiance to this important move. ?Tavistock has been successful on a number of different points, particularly in terms of food and its markets, but its eco-credentials are not so strongly established.?