A petition is being handed to traders in town to oppose the proposed closure of Monmouth's Tourist Information Centre (TIC).

David Cummings, Chairman of Monmouth and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce, gave Monmouth town councillors an update on the potential closure of the TIC.

Twenty clipboards are being sent out to businesses around the town with space for 100 signatures to support the TIC in its present staffed form.

The campaign is also being launched in Abergavenny and Chepstow to persuade Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) to keep the county's TICs and not to follow the Forest of Dean and Herefordshire's closure programme.

Councillor Bob Hayward, who chaired Monday's Finance and Policy meeting, said it was very disappointing news, even though the latest press release from MCC states that this is a consultation period with town and community councils and that no action was as yet proposed.

"This should not be an either or situation" he said, "any proposed touchscreen facility should supplement the present service, not replace it.

"No member was aware of this proposal before it was presented to Cabinet last Thursday," he added.

Cllr Terry Christopher said that the touchscreens were not disabled friendly and for the visually impaired, they are "no use at all".

Cllr Richard Bond said there was more reason to keep them open now that Hereford and The Forest of Dean have closed theirs.

David Cummings said Monmouth's TIC is coming under more pressure to stock Forest of Dean information leaflets.

"The emphasis should be on tourism in Monmouthshire, it's the only industry in a growth situation," said Cllr Hayward.

The petition will form part of a report, coupled with statistics and sent on to Kellie Beirne, chief officer for regeneration and culture at MCC, responsible for the report to Cabinet.

David Cummings finished by thanking MTC for allowing the Chamber to give its report and their level of support for keeping the centre open.

He also thanked the Beacon for the media coverage of the proposal.

Those wishing to express support for the future of Monmouth Tourist Information Centre can sign the Chamber of Commerce produced petition in the Beacon office, or at any one of the 20 town businesses displaying the yellow text on green background window sticker.

Cllr Hayward then suggested that the committee should make a recommendation to full council to support the TIC and the initiative to keep them open, all members agreed.

Kellie Beirne said: "Monmouthshire is a leading tourism destination and we want to encourage the growth of the industry. We are in a very privileged position in Monmouthshire and have so much for tourists to see and do.

"As an authority, we have a duty to make sure that we are using our resources in the most effective way and we need to make maximum impact. To find out if we are using our resources in the right way we need to review our tourist information centres.

"I accept that this is an unsettling time for the TIC staff but I must emphasise that no decisions have been made at this stage.

"The consultation process will give a wide range of stakeholders including staff, town and community councils, chambers of trade and community groups the opportunity to participate."