The Government’s minister for the West Midlands refused to be drawn on his personal view of The Public when he visited the venue to address local voluntary and community representatives.

Dudley MP Ian Austin visited chief executives from the region’s main government organisations at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury, before attending the Regional Action West Midlands (RAWM) event at The Public.

But afterwards he refused to be drawn on his personal opinion of the West Bromwich arts centre and also dodged questions on whether it was a suitable attraction for the people of Sandwell.

Mr Austin said: “I’ve obviously followed the coverage and read a lot about The Public but nothing can beat seeing it firsthand.

“It’s a fantastic building in lots of ways. I didn’t get the chance to have a good look round, it looks like a pretty amazing building; we want to make sure it’s used.” Last week the New Street venue, which has cost £63 million of taxpayers’ money, passed into the control of Sandwell Leisure Trust for a three-month trial.

The trust put forward proposals outlining its plans to manage the centre in conjunction with the council.

The original £38.3 million budget has spiralled to £63 million.

Almost £30 million of that was ploughed in by the Arts Council, which then committed £1.5 million to the running costs of the gallery over a three-year period.

A further £3 million will be given by the Arts Council if it approves Sandwell Leisure Trust’s business plan, bringing the total spent to £66 million.

Speaking during his visit to Sandwell, Mr Austin said: “I decided to hold these meetings around the region so that the heads of these government organisations can see for themselves some of the key issues that matter to local people.”