Brighton Museum entry charge to go up after visitor numbers halve

The entry charge to Brighton Museum is set to be put up next year after visitors halved following its introduction in May.

From May 12, non-residents were charged £5, which led to an expected 49.6% drop in numbers. Now, the council is proposing increasing the charge by 4% to £5.20 in April and by another 5.7% to £5.50 the following year.

A customer satisfaction survey found half the museum’s visitors rated it as good value following the admission charge introduction, compared to 60% of visitors to the Pavilion and 86% of visitors to Preston Manor.

Meanwhile, a drop in visitors to the Royal Pavilion last year, blamed in part on April and May’s good weather keeping day trippers on the beach, means standard admission to the palace will be raised by 6% from £11.50 to £12.30.

It’s hoped this will allow the Pavilion to meet its income target of almost £2.6m.

The increases will be discussed by a meeting of the economic development and culture committee meeting on Thursday.