The Public to get another £600k boost

Another £600,000 of public funds will be ploughed into Black Country arts centre The Public over the next three years, it was announced today.

The Arts Council England will invest £200,000 a year from 2012 to 2015 into the controversial £72 million centre in New Street, West Bromwich.

This comes just days after a damning report into the arts quango's role at The Public, which concluded it should have scaled back its ambitious and costly plans for the centre long before it was completed.

The Public went through major design changes and ran millions over budget, with building work starting in 1995 and finishing in 2008. The Arts Council contributed £31.8m to the project, up from an original allocation of £19m.

Bosses at The Public today welcomed the latest grant, which they said will be used to develop the digital and technological features of the gallery and bring in more temporary exhibitions. The £600,000 comes from the Arts Council England's strategic funding, which is largely funded by the National Lottery.