District council agrees to fund Pallant House Gallery in Chichester for another year

The council has been giving funds to the gallery since 2018 to support the delivery of its services, with particular focus on the community programme.

The decision to continue throughout 2023/24 was made during a meeting of the full council on Tuesday (January 31).

The gallery recently found out that funding of almost £90,000 from Art Council England was being withdrawn from April and there were fears that also removing the council’s money would affect the services on offer.

A report to the meeting said: “If the funding is not continued it would greatly reduce or cease [the gallery’s] ability to deliver its award-winning community programme.

“The programme delivers regular and ongoing support to over 200 adults with a range of special needs, in addition to this the gallery also provides social prescribing and works with day centres, care homes and charities such as Stonepillow and Mind.

“The loss of funding would also jeopardise its work with schools, colleges, and further education institutions within the Chichester district.”

Free entry to the gallery for concessions would also be at risk.

The funding situation will be reviewed before the setting of the 2024/25 budget.

During a meeting of the cabinet early in January, Peter Wilding, cabinet member for finance, suggested that the gallery needed to show that it was helping itself.

He said: “During this year we need to see evidence that they’re looking at their costs and see where they can reduce them before we make another grant.”