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Walsall art gallery at risk under cuts

Drastic cuts loom as Walsall hits 'breaking point' with the cash-strapped council poised to axe The New Art Gallery alongside museums, libraries and youth services in a desperate bid to save £85million.

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The bleak revelations come as the Labour leader of the council Sean Coughlan said: 'public services are at the point of breaking right across Walsall' and 'no service is safe.'

Councillor Coughlan also refused to rule out cutting hundreds of council jobs and calling for a referendum to raise council tax by more than 3.99 per cent.

He was speaking at a press conference held at Walsall Council yesterday morning in which he revealed the council is looking to save £85m in the next four years, including £31m for the next financial year.

The exact details of what cuts will be put forward remain vague at this stage as the detailed papers will not be released until next week.

But among the savings being line up include closure of The New Art Gallery, which opened in 2000 at a cost of £21m to the public purse and was opened by the Queen. A 3,000-strong crowd turned out to wave and cheer as the royal party arrived in Gallery Square in May, 2000. It is the home of the prestigious Garman Ryan Collection, gifted to the Borough of Walsall in 1973 by Lady Kathleen Epstein, widow of the great 20th century sculptor Jacob Epstein. The New Art Gallery has an impressive Permanent Collection of more than 3,000 works, which have been collected since the foundation of the original art gallery in Walsall in 1892 and has hosted work by the likes of Damien Hirst in recent years and is well known for having Noddy Holder's voice making the lift announcements.

Adult social care and children's services are expected to receive the biggest funding hit.

Councillor Coughlan said: "If we continue with these austerity measures then in four years time we will be left with one library, no youth service, no art gallery and no performing arts centre. Public services are at the point of breaking right across Walsall.

"No service is safe. It has not been an easy process but everything is on the table."

Walsall Council has shrunk from 5,000 employees to 3,500 since 2010 and Councillor Coughlan did not rule out hundreds more going in the next four years.

When asked about the prospect of more job losses he said: "At this period of time we cannot dismiss the fact that this is where we are."

The leader also admitted that in an 'ideal world' residents would agree to a referendum to raise council tax by more than 3.99 per cent.

Councillor Coughlan said: "I would hope that people realise that the only way to preserve services is to pay more. That is the reality, that is where we stand, and I hope people would understand that if we go for the option of the referendum."

He estimated that council tax would have to rise by some 30 per cent to protect all the services, but accepted that residents would never agree to this.

Asked about why these cuts had come round, Labour's leader and deputy leader pointed the finger at central government and the austerity policy which has been in place in recent years.

Councillor Jeavons explained how 75 per cent of the council's funding comes from central government, but since 2010 it has lost £118 million in funding - roughly equating to one seventh of the council's budget.

Councillor Coughlan added: "The last five years of austerity has meant we have lost £118 million from central government."

Councillor Coughlan said: "We will have a conversation with our electorate, the residents of the borough. What will go out will overcompensate so people will have a real choice to make over the services they want to keep. We will listen to what they say and hopefully act accordingly when we set our budget in February next year."

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