Entrance fee set to be charged for Worcester Show

Visitors to next year's Worcester Show will be charged £2, the council has confirmed

Visitors to a popular previously-free event in Worcester will have to pay an entrance fee, the council has said

The council has agreed to introduce a £2 charge for entrance to next year's Worcester Show, held in August.

Councillors had initially rejected the admission fee in favour of asking for voluntary donations, after the annual event ran up a £12,000 shortfall.

However, the cost of asking people to make a donation was more than double the amount received in donations.

Worcester City Council said some £7,000 had been spent on extra measures to facilitate donations, including security staff, fencing and a marquee, but only £2,900 had been received from visitors.

Liberal Democrat councillor Mel Allcott said the entrance fee was a "no-brainer" given the local authority's financial state.

"I think if you do things for free, people don't always value them," she said at a policy and resources committee meeting on Monday.

The local authority was facing a £1.7m gap in its books this year, which it had already agreed will be filled by using its reserves, but the gap is expected to grow to nearly £4m in the next five years.

The Worcester Show, held every August, attracts as many as 20,000 visitors each year and includes market stalls, flower and vegetable competitions and live music.