Four community museums in Birmingham - Aston Hall; Blakesley Hall; Soho House; and Sarehole Mill - are to introduce admission charges from 1 April.

Birmingham City Council's (BCC) museums and heritage services said that the decision to bring in entry fees was due to a need to save £1.2m from its 2011-12 budget.

The council said that it was left with "no acceptable alternative", with the only other option being to shut one or more of the community museums.

However, entry to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) will remain free, while under-16s will be admitted free to all museums despite the introduction of charges.