Opening hours to be cut at Walsall's New Art Gallery

The gallery will close an hour earlier each day for 20 weeks throughout winter, as part of cost-cutting measures put forward by Walsall Council.

It means from next year the building will open for 80 fewer hours between October and March, reducing the time available to view some of the collections of art on display.

The plan to close at 4pm rather than 5pm from Tuesday to Friday is only expected to save the council just over £5,000 a year. The council needs to save a total of £86m over the next four years.

The £21 million building in Gallery Square, Walsall, was opened by the Queen in 2000.

It has since welcomed more than 2.3million visitors through its doors to view exhibitions by internationally renowned artists and emerging local talent from the West Midlands. This has included the work of the widely-renowned Damien Hirst.

Council bosses say there would be no impact on Costa Coffee and there are no redundancies connected with the plan as part of the initial budget suggestions.

A report to the council states: "This proposal will reduce the hours people can view or work with collections in the New Art Gallery for 80 hours during the winter period. This should only be a relatively minor inconvenience to customers.

However it adds: "A reduction in the opening hours would limit the gallery's availability when visitors and users could attend to view exhibitions and engage in its activities and use its facilities.

"This would affect all customers and particularly those who unable to visit until late afternoon and after school."

It was announced recently that Walsall's New Art Gallery secured the grant of almost half a million pounds to make essential upgrades.

A total of £487,000 is heading the gallery's way from Arts Council England and will be spent on a 'necessary' refurbishments of the popular venue.

The cash will be used to replace, repair and improve many of the gallery's essential facilities, such as its retail and conference areas and its heating systems.

It comes as the council needs to make hue savings. Under cost-cutting measures which have been put forward for the next few years include eight libraries closing and 12 children's centres shutting as well as Walsall Museum.

Other proposals include reducing bin collections to fortnightly and charges being introduced for green waste collections.

Tips in Walsall will be shut two days a week to save nearly £100,000 and £1 parking charges for four hours will be introduced on around 800 free spaces in Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Darlaston and Willenhall.