Hampshire Cultural Trust has warned that the closure of multiple museum and arts venues across the county will be ‘inevitable’ should a proposed cut to its funding be agreed by Hampshire County Council.
The trust operates museums, art galleries and arts centres across Hampshire, including Milestones Museum in Basingstoke, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery and The Arc in Winchester. It also manages, conserves and maintains Hampshire’s museum collections, one of the largest and most significant regional collections of historic artefacts in the country. The County Council is the trust’s largest funder, contributing £2.5 million per annum, but as part of its recent budget review, it is proposed that this funding will be cut by nearly 50%.
Paul Sapwell, Chief Executive at Hampshire Cultural Trust, commented: "We understand that like all local authorities Hampshire County Council is in an incredibly difficult position: they have a huge challenge to balance their budget. Although our funding accounts for just 0.1% of the council’s overall budget, we fully accept that we have to play our part in taking a reduction. But we urge Hampshire County Council not to view a disproportionate cut to the funding of culture in our county as a simple solution to immediate budget pressures.
“Since we were established in 2014, we have already absorbed a real-time 50% reduction in local authority funding and have replaced that revenue through increased sales and fundraising activity, as well as substantially reducing our costs. Despite this, we will always be particularly vulnerable in a budget review of this kind, as museums, galleries and arts centres are not a statutory responsibility for councils. But culture is essential to the identity and fabric of Hampshire, is integral to our local communities, to everyone’s quality of life. When times are tough, cultural experiences are so often seen as a ‘nice-to-have’, but stripping out what keeps people happy and healthy only saves money in the short term; it is well recognised that the pressure on health and social services only increases when services contributing to quality of life are cut.”
The trust is responsible for 2.5 million objects that tell the story of Hampshire’s unrivalled history, including unique items such as Jane Austen’s pelisse coat (the only known item of clothing that can be directly traced back to the author), an internationally significant collection of ceramics and a nationally important industrial heritage collection from giants of local manufacturing, Thornycroft and Taskers. Over 600,000 people visit trust venues every year, and 15,000 school pupils benefit from immersive education programmes. In addition, the charity’s many targeted projects reach vulnerable groups in local communities, including those living with dementia, people suffering from mental health challenges and young people who are not in mainstream education.
Sapwell continues: “The value of culture to individuals, groups and communities really cannot be underestimated, and a cut of this scale has the potential to change the county’s cultural landscape permanently. Although I can’t confirm at this stage which venues will be affected, future venue closures across the county will be inevitable if a cut of this scale is agreed. We believe a better solution can be found and that the trust can have a positive future, although tough decisions will need to be made. We have a strong commercial model through admissions, ticket sales, cafés and shops, as well as an excellent track record in fundraising. Successes such as The Arc, for which we took on operational responsibility in 2022, prove that there are opportunities where we can build on our strong relationship with the council for the benefit of our communities. We believe a solution exists and we want to work with the County Council to find it.”