YORK Museums Trust has mooted the idea of charging for entry to York’s Museum Gardens, a senior councillor has claimed.

The possibility of an admission fee to visit one of the city's largest public open spaces was raised last year by the trust's chairman, said Cllr Sonja Crisp, former cabinet member for leisure, culture and tourism at City of York Council.

She said Professor Sir John Lawton had met her and former council leader James Alexander at the council's HQ, West Offices, following his appointment, and had raised concerns at looming cuts in council funding for the trust.

She said Cllr Alexander had sympathised but spoken of the need to maintain funding for key services such as adult social services, and indicated the arts might lose out, given big cuts in funding to the council from the Government.

Cllr Crisp said the chairman had then made the bombshell revelation that the trust might need to resort to ímposing charges to enter the gardens, which have been used for many decades by both tourists and residents, with some walking through each day on their way to work.

She said that at this point, the council's former chief executive Kersten England had warned that the idea would be totally unacceptable to the people of York. "She said there would be an outcry," said Cllr Crisp, who is now Lord Mayor but was speaking in relation to her former capacity as leisure executive member.

She said she too believed charges were unacceptable, as were charged for residents to York Art Gallery.

However an amended report to councillors last week warned that if the trust was not able to charge for admission to the Art Gallery and Castle Museum, it could place greater pressure on it to generate revenue from the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens.

"There are no restrictions that would prevent them from introducing entry charges to either of these venues," said the report to the decision session of the executive member for culture, leisure & tourism.

A trust spokesman said today: "There are currently no plans to charge entry to York Museum Gardens."

The Press has asked the trust if it has ruled out garden entry charges for now, and in the future, and will publish any response it receives.

The councillor's revelations come after a huge controversy in recent days over plans by the trust to charge residents asd well as visitors £7.50 for entry to the city's art gallery.