Residents have spoken out against alleged plans to close the Windsor Museum.

Councillor Alison Carpenter took to social media on Saturday, January 20 to say: "It has come to my attention midweek via a resident that the council are looking at options regarding Windsor & Royal Borough Museum and tourist information centre.

"One of these options is to close it down. I do not support the closure and am sure that there are better ways of saving money than to close it down."

Cllr Carpenter states that the proposal is allegedly part of the RBWM budget exercise, with "no firm decision" having been made.

Just one day later, Jack Rankin, who is campaigning to become Windsor’s next Conservative MP, launched a petition to save the museum.

The petition on change.org titled 'Stop the proposed closure of Windsor's museum and tourist information centre' has so far received 79 signatures.

Jack Rankin said: “This is a devastating prospect for the local Windsor community and for tourism in our town and surrounding areas.

"The staff and many volunteers offering their time are hugely knowledgeable, and redundancies are unthinkable.

"The museum alone contributes significantly to our local economy and civic society. Windsor should have its history and Royal heritage celebrated, not diminished.

“I am particularly disappointed in the opaque and hidden nature of these proposed cuts.

"There is supposedly an ongoing consultation on the admittedly challenging RBWM budget, but it shouldn't take concerned stakeholders to bring this to our attention and raise the alarm. The Council should be considering these valuable resources as an asset to our town, not a liability.”

Located within Windsor’s historic Grade 1 Listed Guildhall, the museum and tourist centre were opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.

Annually the museum attracts 65,000 visitors and features an extensive collection of over 13,000 objects.

Cllr Alsion added: "Have your say on the budget here but be quick as you only have until Monday 22nd January."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has been contacted for comment.