Council chiefs admit there is likely to be a dip in attendance at next year’s Proms in the Park after they unanimously approved plans to charge an admission fee.

The open-air event, which features live classical music in Whatman Park, has historically been free to attend and drew in crowds of around 2,000 people last year.

However, as reported in last week’s KM, Maidstone council is having to reassess its spending, saying it can no longer cover the running costs of the Proms.

A ticketing policy was mooted last December after a survey suggested a majority of people would be preparted to pay £5 but some councillors objected and the decision was deferred for 12 months.

At a meeting of the heritage, culture and leisure committee on Monday, members expressed some concern over the proposals, particularly with the festival date clashing with that of the Champions League final, but agreed it was a necessary step to take for the event to continue.

Council leader Fran Wilson warned: “When you charge for anything, numbers drop initially - if not long term - so that’s a little bit of concern.”

Ukip councillor Simon Ells added: “The problem with the public is they don’t see the entry charge as something we’ve got to do because we don’t have a budget.

“They will think MBC had a look at this event, saw hundreds of people going and though ‘that’s a great idea, let’s make some money out of it’. It’s not true but it’s what people tend to think.”

Members agreed to introduce an admission fee of no more than £7 for the event on May 26, with children up to 16 going free and will also set up a steering group to iron out finer details over the coming weeks.

Victoria Soames, chairman of Maidstone Wind Symphony which headlined the event last year, also admitted concerns over future attendance numbers.

She said: “Proms in the Park is a wonderful community event and Maidstone Wind Symphony has been honoured to perform at it for the last three years. We very much hope that it will continue.”