A MAJOR row has blown up over big changes to the Tourist Information Centre in Ludlow.

While Shropshire Council says that the changes provide an ‘exciting new future’, Ludlow councillor Andy Boddington says that they are 'dressing up' cuts which will be bad for the town.

Shropshire Council says it has has been working closely with the trustees of Ludlow Assembly Rooms and Ludlow Town Council to ensure both historic buildings have a viable future.

The Visitor Information Centre will be housed in Ludlow Assembly Rooms, with the museum moving to the Buttercross once it has been fully refurbished, offering visitor information and museum services that are fit for the twenty-first century.

“There are exciting times ahead for Ludlow Assembly Rooms and the Buttercross,” said Gwilyn Butler, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member responsible for leisure, libraries and culture.

"It is great that we are able to work with the trustees and the town council to secure a bright future and continue to offer valued services to visitors and locals alike."

Building work to reconfigure the Assembly Rooms is currently at the planning stage and a fundraising campaign will start shortly. This will mean that, as an interim measure, the Visitor Information Centre will merge with the current box office.

Once the building work on the ground floor has been completed, the services will move back into the space currently occupied by the Visitor Information Centre.

“All of us, Shropshire Council, Ludlow Town Council and Ludlow Assembly Rooms must keep working closely to deliver this challenging set of changes,” said Tony Blency, chair of the trustees of Ludlow Assembly Rooms.

Ludlow Town Council has confirmed that the work to refurbish the Buttercross is well under way and progressing well. It is expected that the museum will move into its new home later this year.

“It’s important that Ludlow’s rich cultural history continues to be celebrated and The Buttercross is the ideal space in which to do this,” said Ludlow’s town clerk Gina Wilding.

But Andy Boddington, who represents Ludlow North on Shropshire Council, is not impressed with the changes that will come in on Monday September 22.

“I am astounded that Shropshire Council is trying to dress up its vicious cuts to the tourist information service in Ludlow as an ‘exciting new future.’ This is political spin at its worst," said Councillor Boddington.

“The reality is that Ludlow’s tourist information service is to be severely cut back. Tourists will no longer be able to book bed and breakfast at the Assembly Rooms. Staff will have to give priority to booking tickets for events. They won’t have much time to give visitors advice.

“That’s wrong. Tourism is a vital part of Ludlow’s economy. It employs a lot of people. The very small cost of providing tourists with advice pays dividends in local pay packets.

“Shropshire Council’s main aim at the moment is making budget cuts, not ensuring that people have jobs. It has got its priorities completely wrong.”