An offer from Llandrindod Wells Victorian Festival to run a tourist information centre at the Old Town Hall has been turned down.
The festival’s administrator, Councillor Sheila Richards, offered to run the centre alongside the festival, seven days a week, staffed mainly by volunteers.
She said the ideal place for the tourist information centre was at the Old Town Hall and the aim would be to have it open between 10am and 4pm from May until October.
Councillor Richards said they could start by providing leaflets and general information and a ‘file’ of accommodation providers and essential information.
She said: “We want to be open as a festival office and TIC within the Old Town Hall before the end of July. Without more tourism information our town is going to die. Guest houses are already suffering financially. Some have already reported half of what they took this time last year.”
The town council rejected the offer at a meeting on Tuesday, but they thanked the Victorian Festival.
Councillors said although it was important to develop a tourist information centre in the town they wanted the old town hall office to be used solely as a tourist information centre not have a dual use.
They suggested that the Victorian Festival committee should speak to the new owner of the Town Hall and ask if there would be a room they could lease there.
Councillor Keith Tampin said he could not see the TIC and Victorian Festival mixing.
* Continued on Page 3 of Mid Wales Journal, July 18, 2008.