A COUNCIL has come under renewed fire over its plans to close a flagship tourist office, with industry leaders speaking out in protest.

Durham City’s Tourist Information Centre (TIC), is expected to close within months, as part of a Durham County Council’s tourism shake-up.

But the proposal has faced mounting criticism and now Durham’s Soroptimist International (SI), a group of influential women, and Steve Reed, a respected North-East tourism chief, have urged council bosses to think again.

SI Durham leaders plan to present a petition to County Hall within days.

Elizabeth Hankin, from the group, said: “It is essential to provide face-to-face services in one centralised location in the city centre. Tourism is vital for the future of Durham.

“Why disable something which helps the business people of Durham? The whole area is benefiting from the tourists who come here all year round.”

Durham TIC recently won a national excellence award.

TICs in Stanhope and Barnard Castle are also set to close, although Peterlee’s will survive, as it is run by its town council.

Mr Reed, who runs Steve Reed Tourism, said: “Durham has always shown itself to be one of the best deliverers of tourism services, with a network of proactive TICs working hard for their tourism businesses, from Weardale in the south to Durham City in the north. Each one of them knew their own areas like the back of their hands.”

He said tourism businesses were totally unconvinced by claims only three per cent of visitors use TICs and relying on Peterlee’s was “farcical”.

“No disrespect to Peterlee, but World Heritage Site it is not,” he said.

Councillor Neil Foster, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said the council and Visit County Durham were committed to continuing to deliver face-to-face tourist information in Durham, Barnard Castle and Stanhope, despite budget cuts of more than £1m, but this may be through new ways.

“The intention is to have more information in more places delivered to more people,”

he said.

“For example, in Durham City the main visitor destinations are Palace Green and the Market Place – thus information may be better provided at the Town Hall and the new World Heritage Site visitor centre.”