COUNCIL chiefs have been labelled mad for considering closing a successful tourist office to save money at the start of the tourism season.

People in Thirsk are concerned that Hambleton District Council is looking at relocating the town’s tourism information centre.

The Market Place-based centre may be moved to the World of James Herriot - which it left nine years ago - as it was too cramped.

It draws in 55,000 yearly users and a district council- run Thirsk Area Forum held this week debated the issue.

Peter Walker, Thirsk Regeneration Initiative chairman, said: "It seems wrong to do this at the start of the busiest period of the year.

"You would think the council would have the sense to get the busiest period out of the way and then have another look at this.

"Even if the tourism office moves the council will not sell the empty building until maybe the end of the year."

Local councillor Nigel Clack, said: "They want to close it as the busy season starts. You would have to be absolutely mad to do that."

The tourism centre shares its base with Thirsk Town Council and the Yorkshire Moors and Coast Area Tourism Partnership.

The moving proposal comes as the Yorkshire Moors and Coast group has expanded its workforce and is to vacate the Market Place site.

The council has taken the chance to look at saving £5,000 a year on running costs, and gain the sale money, by selling the site.

The town council part is under lease until 2012 and so unaffected.

Ted Nesbitt, a tourism office volunteer, said: "We can get several hundreds of people a day through the office in July and August.

"There is very little space in the Herriot centre and it was crowded in there when we were there before and there’s been a large increase in the number of people using the facilities."

The area forum voted unanimously to tell the district council that moving the tourist office was not supported locally.

It further called for a full strategic review of the situation to find suitable premises with all tourism providers included in it.

A report will go back to the council’s cabinet meeting in April for further discussion.