Self-proclaimed ‘Minister of Fun’ Nigel Sumner announced last Tuesday night that Ealing’s Summer Festival in Walpole Park would begin charging for entry from this summer.

The festival features the best live music, comedy, and family entertainment over five weeks, and in the past no entrance fee has been charged for the main events. The Ealing Jazz Festival was the largest free jazz event in the UK, attracting world-famous jazz names.

But now Cllr Sumner, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing has announced that entrance to the park will no longer be free, with festival-goers being charged £1.00 per person every day.

Labour councillors are concerned that this charge is only the first step in a move that will change the distinctive nature of the free summer event. Cllr Bassam Mahfouz, Labour’s Environment Spokesman, said:

“I go to the Ealing Summer Festival in Walpole Park every year, there are people there of all ages and its great to see families being able to enjoy themselves at a free event. Placing an entry fee could damage the fantastic family-friendly atmosphere by stopping families from coming along and enjoying themselves.

The Tories have always said how important this festival is to them, but at the first opportunity they get they are trying to put people off and what is there to stop them increasing this charge year on year. ‘Minister of Fun’, Cllr Sumner is swiftly becoming Ealing’s ‘Minister of Misery’. By introducing this charge, he will be excluding the less well-off and the event won’t reflect the diversity that makes Ealing a great place to live.”

Both the Ealing Gazette and Ealing Times have covered this story – have your say by e-mailing your views on this issue.