International visitors to the Preston Guild’s international reception are set to be charged for attending.

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The tight budget restrictions on the 2012 Guild will see the Mayor’s event, which attracted 1,700 visitors from across the world in 1992, have a ticket price attached to it.

Councillors will meet tomorrow morning to decide just how much they will charge to cover the cost of the event, which welcomes former Prestonians back to the city.

A recommendation to the Guild Committee states a £10 charge could be made which would lead to an overspend of £2,483 on the event.

If the city were to host the same event as 1992 it would cost around £11,000 to put on.

The international reception is due to take place on Tuesday 4th September next year.

The report highlights how popular the event was in 1992 and the report warns how putting a price on the event will decrease the number of guests to around 1,200.

It also gives details of the range of pricing options available to councillors, who could choose to ignore the recommendation and keep the event free but incur a large bill for the cash-strapped council.

The total budget for civic events in 2012 stands at £220,000 which will pay for proclamations, dinners and various services and visits but the council needs to recoup around £160,000 from ticket sales to cover its costs.

The Guild Committee will meet tomorrow from 10am in the Town Hall to decide on whether to accept the recommendation for a ticket price.

Do you think there should be a charge for the event? How much should it be? Let us know your views in the comments below