An organisation that supports the upkeep of Glasgow's Botanic Gardens has hit out at plans to introduce a Kibble Palace entry charge, saying they have had "absolutely no consultation".
The introduction of the charge was one of the measures announced as part of the Glasgow City Council budget in a bid to raise £185,000. It will see members of the public charged to enter the historic glasshouse in the Botanic Gardens for the first time in over 180 years.
The move sparked immediate outrage from the public, and Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens - which works to support the park - said they have received no consultation over the decision.
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In a statement, the organisation said: "At this time, the Friends have no information from the City Council other than the press information suggesting charges to the Glasshouses will be introduced raising a reported £185,000, presumably annually.
"To date, there has been absolutely no consultation with the Friends, who are major supporters of the Botanic Gardens including a very recent agreement to contribute financially to the upgrading of facilities in the Gardens.
"We are not aware whether the charges will apply to all the glasshouses including the Kibble Palace and the Main Range. Equally there has been no indication as to how the charges will be practically implemented nor whether there are to be concessions to any of the City Council’s designated groups of special need.
"We require full information on the likely charges and indeed the cost incurred by managing the process of taking income ie the net income after administration costs for collection, security etc."
The group added that they were "implacably opposed" to the plans, pointing out the vital nature Glasgow's parks, both for public health and environmental awareness.
They continued: "Notwithstanding being provided with the above information, the Friends are implacably opposed to the introduction of any charges to this Internationally recognised centre of botanical and environmental excellence.
"Only recently Glasgow’s Greenspaces were being described as 'the Natural Health Service' due to the value placed on open spaces during the Covid pandemic. To exclude unfettered access to the valuable plant collections and the demonstration of their globally economic value will strike a major blow to Glasgow’s promotion of environmental awareness and climate change information."
A council spokesman previously said: “This is a measure agreed by councillors as part of the council’s budget for 2023/24, which has required the council to identify almost £50m worth savings to cover a funding gap for this year.
“The budget aimed to protect services and jobs where ever possible and has looked to deal with the funding gap by raising additional revenue.
“Further details on what this measure will mean in practice at the Kibble Palace will be announced in due course.”
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