Councillors are determined to keep their civic dinner tradition – although next year the public won't have to pick up the tab for the annual beanfeast.

Dartmouth town councillors have decided that next year everyone who tucks into the three-course civic meal will have to pay for it themselves – along with the wine they drink. In the past, dozens of councillors and VIP guests have eaten and drunk for nothing while townspeople have had to finance the event to the tune of around £1,500.

One town councillor suggested that in the current economic climate the council should scrap the civic event altogether – like the neighbouring towns of Totnes, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge and Salcombe have already done.

But the councillors voted to hold the event on March 9 or 10 next year in the town council's Guildhall HQ – despite warnings that increased costs could turn it into an 'exclusive' event or result in hardly anyone bothering to show up.

Cllr Francis Hawke declared: 'Yes I think we should pay. It is a good way of networking with other authorities.

'If we pay for it, I see nothing wrong with going ahead with it. We should maintain our traditions.'

And fellow councillor David Gent asked: 'What are we going to do – cancel Christmas and just have austerity? We will be paying for this ourselves. There are some people out there who won't believe we are paying for it ourselves and I say – to hell with them.'

In the past some 80 to 90 people have attended the Guildhall civic dinners with all 16 town councillors, their mayoral VIP guests from surrounding towns and even honoured citizens eating and drinking for free.

In 2010, a total of 47 guests at the dinner paid nothing for their £20 a head meal which alone cost taxpayers £940. This year just 27 had complimentary meals at around £16 a head which cost the taxpayers £425.

The bill for the free hire of the hall, council officers' time in organising it and the cost of paperwork, printing and postage takes the total taxpayers' bill to around £1,500 a time.

A council working party has just come up with costing for 2012's dinner which would mean that some 60 to 70 guests would have to shell out £32 a head for a three-course meal and a sparkling wine reception to cover the cost of a civic dinner without any taxpayers cash involved.

Cllr Paul Reach told colleagues they should axe the dinner. He said: 'It's inappropriate to hold that kind of event in the current economic climate. The idea of a civic celebration is inappropriate.'

His proposal was rejected, although mayor Paul Allen questioned, with the cost of the meals going up, 'would we have sufficient people to make it profitable or will we have six people in the middle of the hall talking to one another?'

Cllr Tessa de Galleani said: 'I don't see that Dartmouth should follow what other towns are doing. They should follow what we are doing.'