Private cash is the only way to save Ryedale's tourist information centres, the district council has warned.

The council has threatened to reduce the opening hours of tourist information offices because the budget cannot support them.

But leading lights of Ryedale's tourism industry fear that any cut in the service would affect the number of visitors coming to the area, and could lead to job losses.

Steve Jaques, the director of Eden Camp Museum and chairman of the Ryedale Tourist Association, said: "This is an important industry worth about £100 million a year and employing about 5,000 people."

But in response, councillors say that Ryedale's attractions should fork out to help save the service.

Coun Keith Knaggs, chairman of the council's policy and resources committee, said: "If there is enough money in the business to support the tourist information centres, there is enough money in the business."

The committee was told that the centres were not cost-effective and were not justifying themselves.

But Coun Knaggs praised the information centres: "The service you get from a tourist information centre is immeasurable. You cannot quantify how many times the office is on hand simply to offer advice to visitors.

"As things like this are not recorded, there is no way of telling how helpful the centres really are."

Mr Jaques said that last year's review of tourist centres in Yorkshire showed Ryedale offered the most effective service.

"These councillors are looking to make a costly decision which will affect the industry in Ryedale without all the proper facts before them," he said.

"They should at least wait until the summer, when the Best Value Review is published, then at least they can make an informed decision."

John Richardson, who runs the Burr Bank bed-and-breakfast at Cropton, said councillors would be surprised at how many businesses in Ryedale relied on tourism.

"The list is endless, not just those like myself, but restaurants and even bakeries which rely on summer visitors," he said.

Councillors decided on an urgent meeting with tourism leaders to discuss innovative ways of funding the centres in partnership. They deferred a decision until February 8.

Updated: 10:17 Monday, January 22, 2001