A plan to bring in an entry fee for the Worcester Show has now been scrapped and visitors will instead be asked to donate.
Worcester City Council had been pushing ahead with introducing a £2 entry fee for the family-friendly and currently free Worcester Show as one way of helping with its worrying budget issues – a move it believed would cause “minimal” problems for visitors.
But when the money-saving move was put to the vote, councillors instead scrapped the move to introduce an entrance charge altogether in favour of a voluntary donation.
Cllr Hannah Cooper said the show was a “jewel in the crown” for the city but introducing a charge this year was “short notice” – suggesting the council could plan to bring in a fee for next year’s show – and Cllr Elena Round agreed the proposed new fee was “too short notice” and was worried it would create a lot of “bad will” among visitors and stallholders.