ART lovers in York have been looking forward to the grand reopening of the city’s art gallery on August 1.

To some, it may come as a shock to learn they might have to pay for entry.

For more than a decade, admission has been free.

But Janet Barnes, the chief executive of the York Museums Trust, has now announced that from August 1 adults will be charged £7.50.

Most adults, that is. It is not clear yet whether the charges will apply to York Card holders. That will depend on discussions with whoever is in charge of the city council after the election, Dr Barnes said.

Even if York Card holders do have to pay, they will be able to get a new YMT Card for £22 a year, which will enable them to visit the gallery, the Yorkshire Museum and the Castle Museum as often as they want. That’s not a bad deal.

It is a shame the Trust has had to resort to charging. We hope the decision does not lead to fewer people visiting the gallery than expected.

But in the face of austerity cuts the Museums’ Trust probably had little option. The immediate spur was a £500,000 cut in its annual grant from the city council.

But with public funding for the arts and heritage increasingly uncertain in austerity Britain, Dr Barnes believes organisations such as the Museums Trust must become more financially independent.

If charging for entry to the gallery – along with other money-making ideas such as hiring it out in the evening – help put the Trust’s finances on a more secure footing, that must be good.