I had a lovely day at the Organic Food Festival on the Harbourside – great food, great atmosphere, great fun. I paid £5 to get in and, though some might bridle at this, it was worth it.

It made me think about the whole question of costs of entry for these things. The food festival used to be free and we all like free things, but someone always has to pay, it's just a question of who.

It's the same with things our council provides for free – there's always a cost somewhere, and someone has to pay it. The council may have paid just £1 to Banksy for his summer exhibition, but there were lots of other hidden costs, and the long-suffering taxpayers will end up covering them no doubt.

Personally, I prefer it if we're upfront and honest about the cost of things and have a choice about what we pay for and what we don't. Especially in a time of careful finances and belt-tightening. Pay-as-you-go is good for mobile phones and good for events, too.

Mr A Lipton, St Andrew's.