Kirkstall Abbey: Non-residents could face £8 entry fee

Entry will remain free for Leeds residents, with proof of address required on entry.

Out-of-town visitors could be charged £8 to enter a 12th Century monastery, a cash-strapped council has warned.

The ruins of Kirstall Abbey, in Leeds, are one of the city's top tourist attractions and free to enter.

Proposals suggest topping up council coffers by charging non-residents to explore the 800-year-old site.

Leeds City Council, which needs to save £64.5m next year, has opened a six-week consultation on its annual budget plans.

Under the plans, entry would remain free to local council taxpayers, with proof of address required.

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The council said some income received from the charges would be reinvested in improvements at the site, including a renovated public café and new audio tours.

Deputy leader Councillor Jonathan Pryor said: "The harsh reality is that we're facing budget pressures the likes of which we have never seen.

"We need to think of new and innovative ideas to help generate essential extra income and meet the daunting challenges of the coming years."

"I'd encourage as many people as possible to get involved, make your voice heard and help us to shape the future of the abbey."

A public consultation is asking people what they think about the charge to visit Kirkstall Abbey

Monks began building Kirkstall Abbey in 1152 on land gifted to them by wealthy nobleman Henry de Lacy.

They lived there until the Dissolution of the Monasteries when, on 22 November 1539, Abbot John Ripley surrendered the abbey to King Henry VIII's agents.

In the late 1800s the abbey buildings were bought by Colonel John North, who donated the grounds to the Leeds Corporation in 1890.

It is now thought to be one of Britain's most complete Cistercian monasteries.

The consultation will run until 20 February.