Criticism as number of visitors to Black Country halls plummets by 20,000
The number of visitors to four main venues across a Black Country borough has plunged by more than 20,000 in just two years.
New figures highlight a significant fall in demand at Stourbridge Town Hall, Dudley Town Hall, Brierley Hill Civic Hall and the Cornbow in Halesowen.
Between April 2012 and May 2013, the venues saw 136,103 come through their doors.
However, from April 2014 to May 2015, this number plummeted to just 115,695 – a drop of 20,408.
Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member responsible for tourism, said there was no single reason for the drop in visitor numbers and the authority was working hard to attract people to its civic halls.
But UKIP leader Councillor Paul Brothwood said: "This is a sad reflection of the council's support for the arts.
"We have great artworks and glass works in stores and there are so many pieces that people don't get to see.
"I believe it's the duty of councillors to uphold our heritage and sometimes that message is lost.
"We need to get it out there and publicise the fact that we've got so many great works of art and amazing heritage.
"Let's get them on show rather than hide them away – then I think the visitor numbers would increase."
Although the picture across the four venues is an overall decline, the number of people heading to Brierley Hill Civic Hall increased from 28,476 in 2012-13 to 31,393 in 2014-15.
The reduction in the number of attendees at Dudley Town Hall, from 37,607 in 2012-13 to 27,315 in 2014-15, can in some way be explained by the closure of the main hall at the setting.
Councillor Ahmed said: "It's difficult to say exactly why the visitor numbers have gone down but it could be linked to the economy and people spending less money.
"We are encouraging people to come, holding different events and trying to attract them to the halls.
"It's the same everywhere – pubs and clubs are also not as busy and people aren't visiting as much. I assume it's because people are trying to save money. It goes without saying that the council is doing everything we can to support the arts and entertainment."
It comes as the council has to make £20 million worth of cuts over the next three years. Dudley Museum and Art Gallery would close and up to 275 jobs would be axed under cost-cutting plans.
