A SUCCESSFUL and popular scheme which has allowed families to access various cultural attractions in Hampshire over the last five years is being scrapped.

Nearly 4,000 people bought the £75 Culture-all Passports last year from Hampshire County Council, which give families unlimited access to nine council museums, attractions and country parks for a year.

These include Milestones Museum, in Basingstoke, Basing House, in Old Basing, and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, in Romsey.

The council has now announced that the passports will be discontinued from January 9, however, there is some confusion as to why this has been decided.

When The Gazette asked the council why the passports were being discontinued, the press office sent a statement, quoting Councillor Keith Chapman, executive member for culture, recreation and countryside, which said a review had been carried out of all annual membership schemes offered by attractions run by the council, and it was decided that “membership schemes offered by individual attractions offer the most comprehensive range of options for families, couples and individuals of all ages.

“All of our country parks already have their own membership schemes which offer excellent value for money for customers and can be bought online.”

However, a family of two adults and two children looking to buy annual membership to less than half of the nine attractions included in the scheme, would have to pay well over the £75 cost of the Culture-all Passports.

An annual family pass costs £35 for Basing House, £59.50 for Manor Farm and County Park, £58.50 to Milestones and £52.50 to Staunton County Park.

So a family looking for unlimited access throughout the year to just four of the venues included in the passport would have to pay £205.50.

When The Gazette questioned Cllr Chapman about this directly, he said that the reason the passports were being discontinued is because the council has leased the venues included on it to Hampshire Cultural Trust (HCT), which means the scheme has effectively become redundant.

Venues will, however, honour the passes until their expiry date.

But the council’s press office then told The Gazette that Cllr Chapman was incorrect, and provided another statement saying: “The Culture-all Passport deal is too inflexible as it is only available for two adults and two children. As a result, and in the current financial climate, the Culture-all Passport deal will no longer be offered.”

When The Gazette questioned why Cllr Chapman had given incorrect information, we were told that he had in fact been right, and that the handing over of assets to HCT was one of various reasons why the passports will be discontinued.

It then transpired that the cost of administering them was also a factor taken into consideration.

The numbers of passports sold have increased each year, from 1,050 in 2009 to nearly 4,000 in 2014, but Cllr Chapman said it will be up to HCT to decide if it replaces the passport with an alternative offer.

Karen Middleton, a mother-of-two from Oakley, said: “I am really shocked and I know a lot of families will be really disappointed about this. It’s such a shame.”

A Facebook group has now been set up called Save The Hampshire Culture All Passport, calling for the council to re-think its decision.

Cllr Chapman refused to accept that people may be disappointed about the discontinuation of the passports.

HCT chief executive officer Janet Owen, said: “We are working closely with Hampshire County Council to develop a new and up-to-date offer that we hope to launch in 2015.”