Dismay as "broke" County Council gives £400K grant to Surrey art gallery with £38 MILLION in funds

Liberal Democrat county councillors have condemned a decision by Conservative-run Surrey County Council to award a £400K grant to an art gallery which has £38m of funds and an income of £1.2m a year.

The Watts Gallery in Compton, Guildford, was awarded the money following a decision by the Leader of the Council at a meeting on 12th September 2017. In the papers produced, the County Council's Chief Finance Officer warns that the County Council's financial position is extremely serious, that the proposed expenditure has not been budgeted for and that the gallery was already "financially viable".

Cllr Penny Rivers, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Godalming North, said today:

"At a time of huge spending cuts in Surrey, it is quite incredible that the priority of the Conservatives is to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on an art gallery which appears to be in good financial health and well supported. Just last week, the Tory Cabinet voted to cut Housing Related Support by £3.7m to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The Leader of the Council undermines his own case for better funding from the Government if he thinks that these spending priorities are sensible and in the best interests of Surrey residents. How on earth can he look residents of sheltered housing in the face who are about to lose some of their warden schemes and tell them that this is a sensible use of public money? This decision should be reversed as quickly as possible, with the money re-invested in council services to the benefit of Surrey residents. I support the arts but I support sheltered housing for vulnerable people even more, and furthermore I suspect GF Watts would too."

NOTES

Cllr Rivers council question and answer can be found here:

https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/documents/b18784/Cabinet%20Briefings%20and%20Questions%20Responses%20Tuesday%2010-Oct-2017%2010.00%20Council.pdf?T=9

Minutes of the Leader's Decision meeting of 12th September can be found here:

https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=182&MId=5271&Ver=4