The Burnham-On-Sea community group that runs the town’s tourist information centre has this week announced it is withdrawing its bid for funding to create a new Town Centre Manager.
BIARS (Burnham Information and Rescue Support) had said last week that it was in negotiations with Sedgemoor District Council about a possible funding bid.
However, a statement has been issued by the BIARS management committee today (Monday) saying: “The Management Committee of BIARS has reluctantly made the decision not to proceed with the plan to seek part-funding from Sedgemoor District Council to employ a Business and Tourism Officer after not receiving the full support of Burnham and Highbridge Town Council.”
“It was intended to introduce a ‘dual’ role post, on a three year contract, incorporating the duties of Tourism and Town Centre Management as it was thought that this would allow the correlation of the two objectives to be addressed at a much reduced cost rather than create two posts.”
“The BIARS Team believed that it could have provided a service from its premises which would have been a benefit to various people in the town. Although we have only been operating since April 2011, the model has been a success story due to the commitment of the volunteers and the Management Committee who have shown a dedication to achieve our constitution objectives and assisting the town’s sea rescue charities and tourist information by being pro-active and addressing issues.”
“It is our intention to continue with the tourism post to enhance our profile, to generate further funding for charities and to advertise what Burnham-On-Sea has available for locals and tourists.”
