A bid to restore Ashby's Tourist Information Centre has been launched by local councillors.

The centre, which was situated in the North Street library, was closed during last year's lockdown and has not reopened since.

Monday's meeting of Ashby de la Zouch Town Council's Events & Tourism Committee pointed out that the area is currently promoting itself as a tourist destination - as well as being at the centre of the National Forest.

Councillors agreed to put the town's case to North West Leicestershire District Council which is to review the situation at a January 5 Corporate Scrutiny Meeting after a motion put forward by Cllr Mike Ball.

It would then go to a Council Cabinet meeting on February 1.

Cllr Ball said: "The Town Council recognises the valuable role played by the TIC over the years for the community, and continued to do so up until its closure, in developing Ashby as a developing tourist destination.

"This committee encourages the ambition of Ashby to be a serious tourist destination.

"It is an attractive market town at the heart of the National Forest.

"Our vision is to build on that uniqueness and create a town that meets the needs of local people which making the most of its special qualities to attract visitors and shoppers from further afield.

"The Town Council is concerned that the permanent closure of the TIC would be a diminution of the service and detrimental to the local economy.

"Therefore, the District Council is urged to work with the Town Council to explore all of the options to deliver this service post-Covid to protect and promote the town's Tourist Office."

Cllr Geraint Jones added: "We're calling ourselves the Forest Town, so it's important we do have a TIC."

Cllr Dan Harrison said: "We desperately need this to promote our town. We need to get a voice together and say 'this can't happen'.

"We need to see how we can resolve this.

"A place on Market Street would be perfect. I wonder if there's a small outlet somewhere that could work together.

"We have to look outside of the box, geography is everything. Let's think how we could position it."

Cllr Graham Allman added: "If we want to be taken seriously as a tourist destination, we have to have an information centre, particularly with all the things we have going on."

Cllr Ball told the committee: "We want our town to be full of tourists, we've spoken about it here tonight.

"It seems a backward step to me to allow the District Council to shut it without rationale and not re-open it.

"We should put a shot across their bows."

A petition to save the TIC was started earlier this year by Ashby Civic Society and can be found HERE.