The Tourist Information Centre in Saffron Walden is the first stop for visitors to the town – and they bring good income to our businesses. It also provides an invaluable service to many local organisations, providing publicity and selling tickets for lo

The Tourist Information Centre in Saffron Walden is the first stop for visitors to the town - and they bring good income to our businesses.

It also provides an invaluable service to many local organisations, providing publicity and selling tickets for locally organised events - not least Saffron Screen.

Although the district council clearly has to find ways to cut its budgets, making the highly trained and experienced staff at the TIC redundant is a very short-sighted reaction, and one which could cost the local economy dear. The district council will recover from the financial crisis, but if we lose the TIC and its wonderfully dedicated staff, we may never recover this important service to the community.

Surely, Saffron Walden Town Council will do everything in its power to assist (we already own the premises), but it is the whole of Uttlesford which benefits from this service.

We hope that a compromise can be negotiated whereby others in the district (businesses, parish councils?) can contribute to keeping the Tourist Information Centre in operation for the duration of the crisis at the district council.

Cllrs Richard Freeman and Hilary Shibata

(On behalf of Saffron Walden Liberal Democrats)