News Release

Sedgemoor District Council    
Bridgwater House  
King Square, Bridgwater 
Somerset, TA6 3AR

Press Officer:  Claire Faun
Tel:  01278 435320
Fax:  01278 446412
 e-mail: pressoffice@sedgemoor.gov.uk

 Date:  3 February, 2010

Tourist Information Centre in Burnham-on-Sea

Sedgemoor District Council is pleased that its negotiations with Burnham on Sea and Highbridge Town Council to secure the immediate future of tourist information in Burnham-on-Sea have reached a successful conclusion.

Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council has agreed to commit £50,000 in order to ‘throw a lifeline’ to ensure that the Tourist Information Centre can stay open for the next financial year (April 2010 to March 2011).  Sedgemoor will contribute £28,000 towards this further work to secure a sustainable future for this award-winning service.

During the year, a working party will look at ways of finding a permanent solution to ensure that a Tourist Information Centre is retained in Burnham-on-Sea for the benefit of the local tourism industry generally, as well as local businesses and residents.  It is envisaged that this working party will report back to a further open meeting, provisional date 19 April 2010.

Cllr Anne Fraser, portfolio holder for Strategy and Business Services said,  “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.” 

Clerk to Burnham and Highbridge Town Council, Eileen Shaw, said “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”.   

ENDS

Background Information 

Sedgemoor District Council agreed last year (2008/2009) cut its permanent funding to Tourist Information Centres.  It also agreed to a one-year top up finding of £100,000 to fund the TICs for the year 2009/2010. This means that there is no budget for the year 2010 onwards. 

The BoS working party, which will be looking at the Burnham on Sea TIC only, is made up of representatives from local tourism businesses, the Somerset Tourism Association, Burnham on Sea Chamber of Trade, Burnham on Sea and Highbridge Town Council, and Sedgemoor District Council and a local resident.  It is hoped to initially report back to another open meeting, provisional date of April 19^th, 2010.

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