Info services to close

One can’t help feel for the staff of Worksop and Retford Tourist Information Centres which are likely to close after next week’s Bassetlaw Cabinet meeting.

Bassetlaw Council’s answer is the Internet.

In stark contrast Age UK state ‘That 60% of people over 65 have never used the Internet and it is vital that public services are not made available exclusively online’.

BDC has just commissioned an outside consultancy on ‘How to improve and sell the image of Bassetlaw’. Surely the tourist information centres are more than able to help bring this about.

Go to Doncaster Town Centre and you will find their tourist information centre proudly flying the flag for ‘Donnie’. Even small places like Broadway on the Cotswolds and Knaresborough have their own TICs.

It might even be an opportunity to find Worksop TIC a much better location as was planned by the Conservatives who had Bridge Street in mind rather than some obscure, pokey little corner in the back of beyond of Worksop Town Library.

Looking at overall costs 28 Councillors represent Retford (10) and Worksop (18). Yes 28. Also the top four officer posts total some £½ million per year. Say for starters cut Cllrs to one per ward and have one top dog as Chief Executive plus Deputy. Then the cost of maintaining Worksop and Retford Tourist Information Centres pales into insignificance and four part-time very worthwhile jobs will have been saved.

Concerned Bassetlaw

Resident