A board member of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation has announced his resignation from the public body amid his criticism of its chair – the Tees Valley Mayor.

The news of Paul Booth’s departure came as an MDC planning meeting was postponed at short notice, a decision which was criticised by Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke who said there were “obvious problems” at the organisation.

Mr Booth announced his news shortly after taking aim at Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, along with Boro boss Steve Gibson, over a deal which handed 90 per cent of shares of the Teesworks redevelopment to the private partners.

A former Sabic UK Petrochemicals chairman, Mr Booth has held a number of influential business roles across Teesside and Europe and in 2013 he received an OBE for his services to the chemical industry. He was closely involved with the formation of the South Tees Development Corporation and has been a member of the MDC board since its inception.

He said he still believed the MDC was “a great thing”, but added: “I couldn’t have gone on serving under somebody who has done the things I said he’s done. I resigned from the MDC board as I believe continuing in that role is completely untenable in light of my views on the Mayor’s 90/10 deal on Teesworks.

“It was quite a difficult decision. A lot of soul-searching went on. Everybody who knows me knows I have been dedicated to the regeneration of Middlesbrough town centre, Gresham and North Ormesby and have been arguing for the redevelopment for ten years.”

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke, who sits on the MDC board, said Mr Booth brought a “high level of expertise to the board” and members “always appreciated Paul’s input”. Mr Cooke went on to say there were “obvious problems” at the organisation and “it can’t continue as it is” but confirmed he has no plans to leave the MDC board.

As reported, its planning board was due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the proposed relocation of the Live Well services from the Dundas Arcade to empty units in the Cleveland Centre. Middlesbrough Council said the relocation could bring employment opportunities and increase footfall while supporting the long term vitality of The Cleveland Centre and the wider town centre.

Regarding the postponement of the meeting, Mr Cooke said he was informed at 10am on Wednesday and was told the postponement was on account of the Tees Valley Mayor being unable to attend.

On the TVCA website, the authority said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this meeting will be inquorate and therefore has been postponed. A new date will be announced as soon as possible.”

Mr Cooke criticised the delay in considering the application and said, under amendments to the constitution, Lord Houchen did not need to be in attendance. He said the plans were “probably one of the most important projects for the town centre” and also claimed council officers who had been managing the project were not informed of the postponement.

An MDC spokesperson said: “The Terms of Reference for the Planning Board, approved by the Board, states that the Quorum for the Planning Board is four Members including the Chair.  Following the late apologies from the Chair, the decision was made to postpone this meeting as it would be inquorate.”

Reacting to the news, Middlesbrough Labour MP, Andy McDonald, repeated his previous criticism of the formation of the MDC and a decision to hand over its day-to-day planning functions to a private firm. Regarding the postponement of the meeting, he said it meant “a key public health facility for the people of Middlesbrough will be delayed”.

The postponement followed a cancelled TVCA cabinet meeting on March 15, its first meeting following the release of the Teesworks report.

In that case, the meeting was scrapped due to there being “no substantive agenda items requiring a decision”, according to the authority. Meanwhile, the next meeting of the MDC board has also been cancelled with a note on the TVCA website stating, “Due to a lack of business, it has been agreed with the Chair to cancel this Board meeting.”