Shrewsbury museum visitors could pay up to £4
Visitors will pay as much as £4 to get into the new £10.5 million Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, under plans set to be approved by councillors.
Adults would pay £4, senior citizens £3.50 and children aged between five and 17 years old £2. Shropshire Council's cabinet will debate the proposed charges at a meeting next Wednesday.
The plans reveal Shropshire Council officers and councillors might be able to enter for free in certain circumstances. The report said councillors and officers on business would be among a selection of people able to make complimentary visits to the museum and art gallery "where there is a benefit to the centre".
Others who might be offered the free visits include visitor information centre staff, accommodation providers, funders, teachers and journalists. Volunteers at the museum will also qualify for free entry.
The long-delayed museum, in the old Music Hall, is finally due to open next spring after a delay of more than two years caused by the discovery of structural problems in the Vaughan's Mansion section of the site.
The introduction of season tickets for regular visitors is also being considered, costing £40 for adults, £35 for senior citizens and £20 for children between five and 17.
Group admissions for 12 people or more will also be at a reduced rate up to a highest charge of £3.25 for adults.
Last month, details of the charging plans prompted an angry reaction when they were revealed at a public meeting in Shrewsbury.
About 70 people who attended the meeting voted unanimously against the charging proposals.
Members of Shrewsbury Town Council's finance and general purposes committee also said they had major misgivings about the proposals when they met this week.
Labour councillor Alan Townsend added that museums and galleries made their money from additional activities on their sites, such as restaurants.
He said he felt it was important the site was free to the public for general admission, with charges for special touring exhibitions.
"It is going to be the jewel in the crown of the county town. We want people in there seeing our cultural history," he said.
"It is pointless spending a lot of money on it and then imposing a charge."
