Free admission to Worcester Show to be reconsidered

The annual Worcester Show attracts about 10,000 visitors

An entry fee for a popular event in Worcester could be introduced to help close a funding gap.

Councillors voted to reject charging £2 entry for the annual Worcester Show in June after it ran up a £12,000 shortfall, which the council covered.

Visitors to August's event were instead asked to give a donation, but a council report said setting that up cost more than double the £2,908 donated.

Some £7,000 was spent on resources including a marquee and security staff.

Facilitating the donations also necessitated additional fencing, the local authority report said, while transaction fees on card payments alone totalled £177.

However, the show maintained a "high level of attendance" and the overall loss was down to £7,705.

Members of the Policy and Resources Committee have been asked to back the admission fee for next August's event at a meeting on 16 October.

The event at the city's Pitchcroft Racecourse, which includes live music and funfair rides, attracts about 10,000 visitors annually.

'Small changes'

the council is also considering other savings measures, including increases to fees for renting allotments and making fountains in Cripplegate Park and South Quay only operational between May and September.

"Making a series of small changes can help make significant savings," said Shane Flynn, the council's director of finance and resources.

He said the authority had remained committed to its savings plans and was continuing to look for ways "to cut costs without ceasing any services".

People were asked to make a voluntary donation in August

A £2.5m funding gap identified earlier this year had been reduced to about £500,000, it said.

The three proposals would save the council more than £60,000 a year.

The authority has also planned cuts to some grants for arts organisations as it tries to balance its books.