A REVIEW into the future of west Wiltshire's five tourist information centres could see the service scaled back in some towns.

Cash-strapped West Wiltshire District Council has ordered an in-depth review into all five centres to evaluate their effectiveness and future role.

In the worst case scenario the council could pull all its financial support, worth about £95,000 a year.

Managers have given the review a cautious welcome, with some resigned to the fact the service must alter to meet changing needs.

Some TIC staff are spending an estimated 80 per cent of their time dealing with local residents, rather than tourists.

The district council funds all five TICs, but Bradford on Avon's branch is run on a grant rather than a budget status.

The review could potentially lead to any of the five centres switching location, or morphing into a tourist/information centre, but there are fears some towns could lose out on the service altogether.

Susan Pope, manager of the Trowbridge TIC, said she welcomed the chance to show the service's true value.

"It is a chance to show what we can do," she said.

"There is so much work we carry out people don't even know about. I am quite positive.

"We probably do about 80 per cent of our business with local people but you have to be

careful how you define a tourist. A local person going away on holiday and booking tickets through us is effectively a tourist."

Terri Welch, Melksham TIC manager, said sometimes changes were necessary.

"It is a realistic process. We all know local authorities do not have much money so there have to be cutbacks and they have to justify the amount of money they give out in funding," she said.

"I am not going around all gloom, doom and despondent. In many ways it will be good, as we often get stuck in our little ruts.

"Maybe there are different ways to provide the service. Maybe we don't need five centres. Maybe we need more money."

District councillor Michael Mounde, portfolio holder for housing and economic development, said saving money was not the only motivation behind the review.

"I won't pretend that the council is not cash-strained and needs to look at where it can make economies, but this is not a cash exercise," he said.

"Primarily I want to give the service some future stability. They have been on a knife-edge.

"The review will be to look at what the centres did, what they want to do and what they might or should be doing."

A decision on the future of the TICs should be made by August, with the district council cabinet making a final decision this autumn.