MPs Press Hampton Court for Residents Preference

10.40.36am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 21st May 2003

The Gardens at Hampton Court Palace

Two local MPs, Vincent Cable and Edward Davey, visit Hampton Court this week to dissuade the Palace authorities from imposing charges on local residents who uses the gardens around Hampton Court. the Palace is currently conducting a study of charges and will announce its results in July.

Both MPs will argue, strongly, that residents of the neighbouring boroughs (Richmond, Kingston, Elmbridge) should be exempt as they already are from charges to enter the Privy Garden in the Palace.

MP Vincent Cable said: "I hope that the Palace authorities will recognise local residents to be in a different position from tourists. The latter come from long distances, often oversees, and will expect to pay for the once in a lifetime experience of visiting the Palace. For residents the Palace grounds have long been part of the neighbourhood where people walk, sometimes frequently. Charging would be a major issue, and resented, "

"especially as residents have to put up with the traffic generated by Palace events".

"I fail to see any practical or legal reason why residents should not continue to be exempted from charges to visit the grounds".