Council aims to cut funding to The Hepworth Wakefield but still pay £700,000 a year to support the gallery

The annual pay-out from Wakefield Council to the city’s gallery would be a reduction of £50,000, if the proposal is approved.

A report to cabinet members is recommending a cut in the “service concession fee” from 2023 to 2026.

The report also recommends that the local authority’s funding agreement with the Hepworth Trust be reviewed.

The council’s funding of The Hepworth has previously been criticised by opposition councillors.

In November The Hepworth Trust was awarded Arts Council funding of £923,000 a year until 2026.

The Hepworth building is owned by the council but is operated under a service concession agreement with the independent trust.

The council provides an annual fee to enable the trust to manage and operate the gallery and take care of the local authority’s own fine art collection.

The report states: “Since its opening (in 2011), THW has achieved 2.5million visitors, which has far exceeded initial estimates.

“The growing reach of THW brand locally, nationally, and internationally, has helped to raise the profile of Wakefield and establish the district as a tourism destination.

“THW has won the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year award and has just won gold in the Visit England visitor attraction awards for the second year running.”

In 2019, the council entered into a four-year funding agreement which resulted in a gradual reduction of the annual fee, from its original £1.24m a year.

It was part of a plan to distribute funding more widely across the district and to prevent the trust’s “over reliance” on council funding.

The report says: “In addition, the council has always continued its contribution ‘in kind’ to support the trust through its commitment to meet its long-term maintenance commitments.”

In October 2021 the council spent £1.3m on upgrading the heating systems at the gallery.

The report adds: “The council has long recognised the benefits of investing in cultural and creative provision.

“The district’s rich and diverse arts and cultural ecology also includes some remarkable cultural destinations, including THW, but also the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Theatre Royal Wakefield, National Coal Mining Museum for England, The Art House and Nostell Priory.

“Together these organisations attract well over two million visitors each year and seek to engage with communities across the whole district.”