Councillors in Burnham-On-Sea have today (Friday) welcomed the news that Sedgemoor District Council is to contribute £28,000 towards keeping the cash-strapped Tourist Information Centre open.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported earlier this week that Burnham and Highbridge Town Council had agreed to commit £50,000 to ‘throw a lifeline’ to the seafront centre and, now, Sedgemoor decided to contribute a further £28,000 to keep it open for the next financial year from April 2010 to March 2011.
The working party that was set up at a meeting last month will look at ways of finding a permanent solution to ensure that the centre is retained in Burnham for the benefit of the local tourism industry.
Cllr Neville Jones, pictured above outside the centre, added: “I’m very pleased that Sedgemoor is showing some commitment to this project and am delighted that they are giving £28,000 towards keeping this vital facility open alongside the Town Council funding.”
Cllr Anne Fraser, Sedgemoor’s portfolio holder for Strategy and Business Services, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I am very pleased that Sedgemoor District Council has managed to work with the Town Council to deliver a tourist service in Burnham-On-Sea for this year.”
“It is sad that we have had to take these steps, but it is the reality of our funding situation. I hope that the working party will be able to come up with a long-term solution during the coming months to make sure that this excellent service can continue into the future.”
Town Council Clerk Eileen Shaw added: “The only way that the Tourist Information Centre can be sustainable in the future will be with considerable assistance from the tourism industry itself and a dedicated group of volunteers who have the welfare of the town at heart. The financial contribution from the Town Council is a ‘one-off’ and any additional contributions to the running of the centre in future years is entirely dependent on the outcome of the deliberations of the working party and would require a further resolution from the Town Council.”
