Hampshire Cultural Trust has warned there will be the “inevitable” closure of multiple museums and arts venues across the county if proposed cuts to funding are approved.

The charity urged Hampshire County Council to meet and consider a proportional reduction for the services as the council looks to save money.

Hampshire County Council is the trust’s largest funder, contributing £2.5 million annually. Still, as part of its recent budget review, it is proposed that this funding will be cut by nearly 50 per cent.

The trust operates many museums, art galleries and arts centres 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.

Paul Sapwell, chief executive at Hampshire Cultural Trust, said: “We have a huge sympathy for the position of the Council; they are not the only Council in this incredibly difficult position, this is a national issue they are facing. 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.

“The temptation is to reduce, obviously, the things that are easier to cut in the short term. We are not a statutory service; we are vulnerable and easy to remove, but museums and arts have been cut for over ten years.

“We urge the Council to consider the value of museum, arts and culture services to the County Council as a long term. Looking at something that can be, we know the effects of removing services like ours that help to contribute to the happiness of our communities.

“We suggest the County Council to consider whether the reduction is proportionate. We want to talk about the size of the reduction, the timescales of which they want to make that reduction, what those consequences would look like, and whether there are opportunities to mitigate that reduction through greater partnership to mutual benefit.

When asking Mr Spawell what the consequences would be if the County Council cut the funding in total, he said, “It is too early to tell what the consequences would be if the proposal got approved. If it is, it is highly likely that we have to review the scale of the services and operation. 

“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 believe a solution exists and we want to work with the County Council to find it.”

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. More than 600,000 people visit trust venues annually, and 15,000 school pupils benefit from immersive education programmes.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “For a long time now, we’ve been very open about the huge financial pressures facing the County Council in the coming years – with an estimated budget shortfall of £132m by April 2025. Like many local authorities nationally our budgets are stretched to breaking point – because of high inflation, years of underfunding by central Government and growing demand for core services like social care for vulnerable children and adults as more people need our help.

“With such major budget constraints, we are having to consider very carefully how we can close this funding gap in future and regrettably, some very tough decisions are now needed on what the Authority can and cannot continue to do in future. We must look at all areas of our spending, including the range of both one-off funding and recurring grant funding we have provided over past years to support voluntary and not-for-profit organisations serving Hampshire communities – such as financial support awarded to the Hampshire Cultural Trust. We are committed to working closely with the Trust on the details in relation to the proposals and possible implications should plans be agreed.

“We are already working closely with the Trust to explore a more sustainable financial solution for them in future that would offer them more commercial freedom to generate their own income, independently from the County Council. This option could also mean that the Cultural Trust receives less funding from the Authority which would help towards us balancing our budgets and ensure available resources could be focused to support the most vulnerable people in Hampshire in the delivery of vital core services.”