Councillor slams decision to cut castle’s opening hours

English Heritage has been warned that Scarborough’s tourism industry cannot be left without the resort’s most iconic structure amid plans to close the town’s historic castle during winter weekdays to cut costs.

Scarborough Borough Councillor Colin Challen said the decision to only open Scarborough Castle on weekends would be a devastating blow to tourism during the vital winter months.

In a letter to English Heritage, Coun Challen, who represents the Castle Ward, said: “I can see that English Heritage has to make cuts consequent upon the Government’s ill-thought out cuts programme, but Scarborough can ill afford to see its most iconic structure closed off in this way, especially as we strive to make the town an all year-round resort. I would urge you to ask your officers to revisit this decision, consult with local stakeholders and explore the alternatives.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This week English Heritage revealed it would only open sites, including Clifford’s Tower in York, Whitby Abbey and Scarborough Castle on weekends from November until April, due to a 32 per cent cut in Government funding.

Coun Challen said he did not believe this warranted the closures and has appealed to English Heritage to “look for a better way forward”.

He said: “I was very disappointed to learn that English Heritage is to reduce the opening days of Scarborough Castle in the winter months from five days a week to just two – a cut of 60% on the apparent justification of a 32% cut in funding from the Government. Why is our most precious asset being targeted for such a disproportionate cut?”