UK tourists visiting Brighton warned over new 'admission fee' from May

UK tourists have been warned as Brighton Palace Pier announces it is to introduce a £1 admission fee. It will be in place during peak trading periods in the summer beginning on May 25 and then cover the weekends during June and the full months of July and August.

Anne Ackord, chief executive of Brighton Palace Pier, said: “The admission fee will be an important contributor to ensuring that our iconic pier is with us for generations to come.” Ms Ackord said the pier had never received any form of financial grants.

"I’ve been associated with the pier for 20 years, and in that time, absolutely nothing," she told BBC Radio Sussex. She added: "The pier is a substantial structure and in recent years, the costs associated with maintaining and operating it to the same high levels of upkeep, strength and structural integrity, have increased significantly.

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"We have, to date, been able to offset and absorb these costs, but we have now reached the point where, in our view, it is sensible to implement a small admission charge for visitors to the pier from outside the local area.” The admission fee will not apply to Brighton residents who have a Brighton Palace Pier local residents card.

The admission fee will be critical in helping to meet the unique challenges and costs of preserving the pier’s structural integrity and fabric as well as continuing to remain open all year-round, the Brighton Pier Group (BPG), which runs Brighton Palace Pier said.

“We see ourselves as the custodians of the Pier. Many of our team, including myself live and work in Brighton and we understand first-hand the importance of the pier within our city," Ms Ackord said in a statement today, as the new fee was announced.

The Pier attracts tourists from all over the world.