Published: December 23, 2009
Future of Burnham Tourist Information Centre to be decided

The future of Burnham-On-Sea’s Tourist Information Centre looks set to be decided at a special meeting in early January.

Town and district council bosses will discuss how the busy centre, based on The Esplanade, can be funded amid a round of cash cuts at Sedgemoor District Council.

District council spokeswoman Claire Faun told Burnham-On-Sea.com on Tuesday (December 22nd): "The district council funding for tourist information centres was removed for this financial year, but in the interim we received £100,000 from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme."

"This provided our tourist centres with a year’s grace but the money will run out at the end of March. We therefore need to find new funding sources to keep the centres open."

"A meeting of interested parties will be held in the first week of January in Burnham when it's hoped some ways forward will be found."

"While the TIC is much loved and a valuable resource, it is a discretionary service for this council."

"We have subsidised it for some time but unfortunately simply cannot afford to continue this."

Town councillors discussed the matter at a council meeting on Monday night, where the council's budget for the coming year was debated.

"We may well have to find some funds to help to partially fund the centre in the future," Town Council Clerk Eileen Shaw told councillors at the meeting.

The district council hopes that some of the firms and groups who benefit from tourists visiting Burnham will also provide funding.

Burnham-On-Sea.com first reported in November that the centre's future could be in doubt due to district council funding cuts. The centre also received a sought-after mystery shopper award, as reported here.