Local authorities

The Library Campaign has submitted a formal complaint to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) against London Borough of Croydon.

The complaint, filed under Section 10 of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, asks for DCMS to investigate the council’s plans for its current libraries.

It says there have been numerous faults in a consultation process relating to the closure of four libraries in the area.

“Our principal concern is that consultees were presented with no coherent plan for the claimed ‘targeted’ services to mitigate the acknowledged damage from the four closures,” the complaint states, adding that 66% of respondents to the consultation strongly opposed any library closures.

“The result – though we stress again that there is no plan at all, and no costings – seems guaranteed to be an unsatisfactory ‘mitigation’ patchwork of provision that will be an enduringly inefficient drain on staff and funds,” the complaint adds.

The Library Campaign has asked DCMS to deal with the matter with urgency, citing that a decision is expected from the council on September 25.

A council report has warned that plans to revamp Hereford Museum and Art Gallery could cost £21.8m instead of the £19.2m budgeted, partly due to the unexpected discovery of asbestos in the building.

Higher scaffolding fees and a new electrical substation have also contributed to the increased predicted spending.

Herefordshire Council's progress report said that the anticipated costs “can be reduced through working with a contractor" but that the project will only proceed if it is “deliverable and within the approved budget”.

The project will add six new galleries and display spaces to the grade II-listed building, as well as a temporary exhibition space, a fifth floor, and new commercial and retail space.

The local authority is contributing £8.4m while a further £10.8m has been secured from government, the National Lottery and Arts Council England with other funding bids "also being explored".

Councillor Harry Bramer said the council would probably adjust where and how the available budget is spent at the final design stage.

“We won’t get final costs until we work through the detailed elements of the design with a construction partner, which is the next phase of the project," he said.

Nottingham City Council is considering operating its museums and galleries under a charitable trust model.

Commissioners were appointed in February to assess how the council should run its museums services, following the reopening of Nottingham Castle after the independent Nottingham Castle Trust went into liquidation.

According to local press, the assessment suggested the creation of a development trust and exhibition trust, which would be used to supplement the council in running the museum's service.

During a Communities and Environment Scrutiny Committee meeting held in July, a council officer said Nottingham could mirror operations in Leeds and Manchester, which both operate development and exhibition trusts that are wholly-owned by the council and help bring in extra funding and tax relief.

The officer said control, transparency and oversight from the council is “imperative”, adding “there is no intent to replicate the Nottingham Castle Trust model”. 

The council’s museums service currently runs Wollaton Hall, Newstead Abbey, Nottingham Industrial Museum and the Museum of Nottingham Life, alongside Nottingham Castle.

West Northamptonshire Council has awarded £45k to 15 voluntary and community sector organisations in the region.

The council said the funding will "expand and enhance the arts and culture offering in West Northants".

Grants of up to £5,000 have been awarded to a range of projects which the council believes address "an identified local need" while also supporting, enabling or facilitating "the achievement of one or more of the council's strategic aims, objectives or priorities".

The funded projects include Rockin' Roadrunner, a free annual community-based festival for people with disabilities, and Performing Room, a community arts development programme designed to help people express themselves through music and the creative arts.

Also funded is Accent Percussion, a community percussion group using drumming workshops to improve physical and mental health. 

Councillor Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said the funded projects "are not only enriching our cultural landscape but are also making a real difference in people's lives, particularly among our most vulnerable residents".

He added: "By promoting inclusivity, creativity, and wellbeing, these initiatives are helping to strengthen our communities and attract more people to experience the unique culture our area has to offer."

A theatre in Surrey that closed for safety reasons in 2023 is to remain shut with no current plans to reopen.

The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema in Redhill closed its doors last September due to the presence of RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).

At a recent meeting of the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council executive, plans for the theatre to remain closed for the forseeable future were approved, with no alternative venue proposed.

The council has also agreed a reduction in theatre personnel to "a core team of two to three staff".

The remaining staff will be tasked with developing a business case "for a medium-term cultural offering for the borough".

Council Leader Richard Biggs said that despite the decision, the council's "commitment to the arts is not in question".

He continued: "We did not anticipate being in this situation. Since the building’s closure, officers have been working closely with external partners to establish the implications of RAAC and respective responsibilities, as well as working innovatively to ensure that some arts activities could continue, albeit not in the usual way.

"This decision recognises the need to use public money appropriately and therefore focus on developing sustainable plans for a future cultural offering while the Harlequin building remains closed."

A bid to keep a 450-seat venue in Hampshire that was operated without planning permission has been turned down.

The BBC reports that the Arden venue was constructed behind the existing Titchfield Festival Theatre in St Margaret's Lane, Titchfield, on land purchased in 2021.

Fareham Borough Council issued a Planning Enforcement Notice in November because the building only had consent to be used for storage.

The theatre appealed against that decision but the case was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.

Titchfield Festival Theatre has now been told it has to stop using the venue for performances by 12 October and remove the stage and seating within seven months.

Ian Bastable, Vice chairman of the planning committee at Fareham Borough Council, said: "I am pleased to see the Planning Enforcement Notice has been upheld and the appeal dismissed.

"It seems extraordinary that, despite concerns raised by the council in connection with creating a large theatre here, the works still went ahead."