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The Dartford institution will have more seating, new sound and lighting devices and better access for disabled visitors following a six-week refurbishment this summer. Director Lorna Strawson said the improvements, which are being funded by Dartford Council, will create an environment that is “excellent in every way”.

French telecoms entrepreneur Patrick Drahi has struck a deal to acquire the auction house for US$3.7bn (£2.95bn). The sale price, 61% higher than Sotheby’s closing share price, is a sign the art market has bounced back from a broad downturn in financial markets, commentators say.

An increasing reliance on sponsors and ticket sales has “put pressure on the [festival] team to support established artists and ‘safe’ work”, evidence submitted by the festival to a Scottish parliamentary review of arts funding in the country has found. The organisers say the cost of pursuing donors and grant funding means money is being diverted from the festival programme.

Manchester Arena claims it could lose business if the city council approves a second 20,000-seat venue. John Sharkey, Executive Vice President of European Operations at SMG, which runs the venue, said the city would have to double the number of events it hosts each year to sustain both.

The Eastern Angles Theatre Company has launched a campaign to fundraise £50,000 for a new site adjacent to Ipswich Waterfront. A company spokesman said it plans to apply to Arts Council England for a grant to cover the remaining £150,000 cost.

Organisers warn the city council’s “salami slicing” strategy could cause the event’s decline or even demise. Arts groups have lost direct funding and are being told to share resources or collaborate on their programmes.

Protests are planned for Widdecombe’s first show since her comments on gay conversion therapy prompted two other venues to cancel bookings. Lowther Pavilion chairman Tim Lince said “the right to free speech in the theatre was long fought and should be protected”.

A court has ruled the school wrongly claimed a door between its Reid and Assembly buildings was a fire exit to claim VAT. Its historic Mackintosh building has burned down twice in the past four years.