Gallery a white elephant

I read with interest your report on the financial troubles of Walsall's art gallery. Currently it is running at a loss of £1.8 million per year, of which a government body pays £800,000 and Walsall Council has to find the remaining £1 million out of its budget.This is a dreadful drain on the council, which cannot be abandoned or even reduced, meaning the council has to trim other costs such as old folks' homes, evening classes and street cleaning.

The gallery has been a white elephant since its inception.

Walsall always had an important but limited collection of art housed in what is now the central reference library. It was modest and could easily be fully controlled by one or two assistants sitting at a desk with closed-circuit cameras.

The council went for a grandiose art gallery as part of the wharf redevelopment area.

Although land costs there were low they opted for a complex high-rise building, much too big, with lots of alcoves requiring a much higher level of staffing and maintenance.

I attended the opening when the architects explained the building. The acoustics were such that on that very busy day it was impossible to hear what they were saying even from a few feet away. I recall how patrons of the top floor cafŽ looked straight into the men's toilet cubicles when the door was opened!

The most popular current use of the building is by uninterested schoolkids using the benches as slides. Quite a bit of the building, including the top floor, has been mothballed to save money.

The building should never have been that big. Sandwell has made, unfortunately, the same mistake. It was persuaded to build the ridiculous Public Arts Centre, which is far too large.

There is no way the building could ever be appropriately used or break even.

Sandwell council tax payers will suffer a £2 million drain on their finances for years to come. The council should refuse to take over the building.

Barry McGowan, Redruth Road, Walsall.