COUNCIL bosses are losing cash because visitor numbers are down at country parks.

Basildon Council expects to be £34,000 down at the end of the financial year on its budgeted income from visitors to Wat Tyler Country Park, in Pitsea, the Wick Country Park in Wickford and Norsey Wood in Billericay.

Now it intends to install vehicle-counting equipment at entrances to the parks so it can keep a record of the number of visitors.

It is also reviewing its income targets due to the slump. The drop stems from lower than expected numbers of schools paying to use educational facilities at the parks.

It is also down because there are less visitors overall and, of those who do visit, fewer are buying food and drink from vending machines.

The loss of money was listed as a “significant issue for councillors attention” in a budget update to the Leisure and Health Scrutiny Committee.

The council hopes it can recoup some of the money through wedding bookings at Wat Tyler.

Kevin Blake, councillor responsible for leisure and arts, said: “Although the education programme across our country parks remains strong, school party numbers have not increased as anticipated.

“Sales across our vending machines has also been less than we forecast. Conference and wedding hire has been on target, with at least one wedding booked in for every weekend of next summer.”

The council’s leisure budget is also expected to be a further £18,000 down after it put on major free events in the district this year.

Originally the Proms in the Park, in Lake Meadows, Billericay, in July, and the Alice Through the Looking Glass theatre event, in Wick Country Park, Wickford in August were £15 and £8 respectively.

However, the charges were scrapped ahead of the events.

Mr Blake added: “The £18,000 relates to the subsidy of the two free events enjoyed by thousands in the summer of 2010, when following the success of Basfest 2010, Basildon Council decided to make the two other events in the district available to the public for free.”