Future Services Consultation 2024 - Hampshire Cultural Trust Proposal

Insight Summary

From 8 January to 31 March 2024, Hampshire County Council invited residents, partners and stakeholders to provide their views on options to change and reduce some local services to help the Authority address a £132 million budget shortfall faced by April 2025.

One option proposed was to reduce the annual grant awarded to the Hampshire Cultural Trust (currently £2.5 million) by £600,000 by April 2027.

Who responded to the proposal?

3,988 responses for the HCT proposal were submitted using the consultation response form. 3,884 were submitted by individuals, 43 submitted from organisations and 34 from Elected Representatives.

1,838 respondents had visited an HCT venue in the previous six months. Of the venues identified at risk of possible closure, 248 respondents had visited Andover Museum, 331 had visited Ashcroft Arts Centre and 194 had visited Curtis Museum within the previous six months. Eastleigh Museum has been temporarily closed since April 2022, so has not received visitors during this time.

734 respondents reported having health or disability issues that impact day-to-day activities a little or a lot.

43 respondents were aged under 25, 694 were 25-44, 1,674 responses came from the 45-64 age group and, 1,218 were aged 65 or over.

Respondents were invited to add further comments to support their views on this proposal via an open-ended question. This allowed people to expand on the impacts they felt the proposed changes would cause and suggest alternative courses of action.

1,227 respondents left an open-text comment about the proposal. 54 respondents also commented on the HCT proposal in the any further comments open text box at the end of the consultation, designed to capture any further feedback to any of the proposals in the consultation.

30 unstructured responses were submitted, 12 from organisations, 3 from Democratically Elected Members and 15 from individuals.

To help capture the views of young people about the consultation, members of the Hampshire Youth Forum (aged between 11 and 18) were invited to consider the proposals and attend a discussion group to share their feedback.

Levels of agreement with the proposal

Among all responses, slightly more respondents agreed with this proposal than disagreed but there was no majority view.

  • 47% overall agreement (20% strongly agreeing)
  • 42% overall disagreement (22% strongly disagreed)
  • 11% were neutral

What is driving agreement with these proposals?

Of the 218 respondents who agreed with the proposal and made further comments 44% stated HCT was a low priority compared to other services.

“I think its better for something that is considered a luxury to loose money then something which is needed for everyday life”

“Cultural support is important but it has to take a lower priority than people's safety & social care”

“It's a shame for local communities, but impact of this seems much less than other proposals”

30% of comments showed respondents accepted cuts had to be made, compared to 10% of respondents that disagreed making the same comment.

“The Cultural Trust Grant is important but the proposed reduction is acceptable.”

“Cuts need to be made to ‘nice to have’ funds and this is where we are now. Make cuts here.”

Of the 79 respondents that agreed with the proposal and identified impacts, 63% said the impact of reducing the HCT grant would be low.

“These are not essential services and any 'well-being' or educational benefit they deliver is fleeting. Other arts and museum services are available elsewhere and in alternative formats, e.g. online, on TV via Sky Arts and BBC3 and BBC4.” 

Respondents who live in Havant and the New Forest showed higher levels of agreement compared to respondents from other areas, 62% and 56% respectively (albeit that this view was not shared by the New Forest District Council, who disagreed. Havant Borough Council did not comment on this proposal). Although numbers of respondents from Hart and the New Forest who made further comments were small they did have higher proportion of people who think the grant is a lower priority compared to other services (50% and 33% respectively) compared to comments made by respondents from other areas.

Respondents with higher household incomes (over £60,000) also showed higher levels of agreement for the proposal (53%) than those with lower household incomes. Numbers that submitted comments were small but of those that did, respondents with incomes over £60,000 show significantly higher support for HCT to develop other forms of revenue generation and cost reductions than respondents with lower household incomes. Suggestions for revenue generation encompassed increased entrance fees, paid events, fundraising and donations which are potentially more affordable for those on higher incomes.

Respondents aged 45-64, also showed higher levels of agreement than respondents from other age groups (52%). Again, of those that submitted comments, this age group had a higher proportion suggesting HCT increase revenue generation. However, this was not significant against other age groups and it is harder to speculate on the reasons why this might be so.

What is driving disagreement with these proposals?

The highest level of disagreement was shown among:

  • respondents who had visited an HCT site within the previous six months
  • respondents who live in Fareham
  • responding organisations
  • respondents aged under 25

Use of the HCT venues has an influence, with respondents who had visited venues in the past 6 months having a significantly higher level of disagreement – at 62% (with 34% strongly disagreeing), compared to 29% who agreed with the proposal.

Specifically, recent visitors that showed the highest levels of disagreement are those that have visited Ashcroft Arts Centre (84%) and the Andover Museum and Museum of the Iron Age (81%) in the past 6 months. These venues have been earmarked for possible closure if such measures become necessary.

“Anyone who takes pride in their community needs to take a long hard look at the history and arts. The most threatened Heritage sites, such as the Iron Age exhibits at Andover and the wonderful Curtis museum (founded in 1865 and only entrusted to HCC in 2014) would be a scandal if closed….”

“The Ashcroft Arts Centre is a fantastic resource. It is not just a performance venue; it provides several courses that run weekly that provide opportunities for adult learning, including for adults with learning disabilities. These sessions also provide an opportunity for older people who would otherwise be socially isolated to enjoy companionship whilst pursuing an activity. The grant for this venue should be continued”.

As the Ashcroft Arts Centre is located in Fareham and, 54% of Fareham respondents had visited the Ashcroft Art Centre within the previous 6 months, this is likely to be a reason why Fareham respondents (60%) disagreed with the proposal.

“I live close to the Ashcroft Art Centre and I worry what impact the potential closure of community facilities in Fareham will have.”

“The loss of the Ashcroft Arts Centre is a massive blow to the community in Fareham. We rely on it for affordable classes and activities for our children, and it will be greatly missed. It cannot be overstated that the for-profit Fareham Live venue will not be able to offer these same affordable activities that have been at the heart of the community in Fareham for so many years”

Notably more respondents who had visited a venue in the previous six months identified impacts of community well-being, including volunteering and reduction or loss of an essential service, compared to those who hadn’t visited a venue in the previous six months.

59% of responding organisations disagreed with the proposal, of which 48% strongly disagreed; compared to 26% who agreed overall. Their comments, where provided, showed that their main concerns were impacts on universal access to culture and arts (43%) and community well-being (38%), physical and mental well-being (33%) and reduction or loss of an essential service (33%).

68% of respondents aged under 25 disagreed with the proposal, of which 36% strongly disagreed; compared to 28% who agreed overall. As only small numbers made comments it is not possible to determine the reason for this.

Additionally, the Hampshire Youth Forum fed back that closing museums would break up communities, impact small businesses from loss of tourism and revenue, lead to job losses and negatively impact people’s mental health. They also gave comments on the benefits of museums, which included positive effects on mental health, teaching children the value of helping others, promoting diversity, broadening horizons and providing opportunities, attracting tourism and bringing a sense of community.

Main impacts of the proposed change

1,227 respondents submitted comments on this proposal. 671 comments (55%) related to the proposal's perceived impacts.

The most frequently mentioned impacts were on:

  • education (27%), with comments referring to venues offering education for all ages and facilitating school trips and helping to support the national curriculum.
  • universal access to culture and arts (27%), incorporating concerns that cuts to the grant could lead to increased charges at these venues, therefore excluding people on low incomes from visiting and that reduced opening times could also restrict access. Closure would, of course, affect everyone's access.
“Any reduced funding to Hampshire Cultural Trust would be damaging to projects that engage hard-to-reach groups such as the socially excluded, those that are digitally excluded, people with learning disabilities, people with mental health problems, disabled people and those struggling with poverty or low incomes.”

“Closing these venues means schools & children have less access. These places are education and community hubs. Important places for young families of lower incomes to do workshops and have leisure time.”

24% of the comments showed respondents thought the proposal would negatively impact physical and mental well-being and community well-being, including volunteering. Comments highlighted the wide array of activities offered by these venues, catering to diverse groups including those with disabilities and older people facing social isolation. They also underscored the importance of these venues as spaces for small local activities, distinct from large commercial ventures. The feedback also stressed the value of these venues in providing volunteering opportunities, giving a sense of purpose, and bolstering local communities.

“The small amount given to the Trust is multiplied many times over in the outcomes that it provides to the community and especially our young people, the elderly, less wealthy people and those with disability who are not properly catered for by for-profit venues.” 

23% of comments related to the proposal creating a reduction or loss of an essential service (23%). Comments showed that many respondents see access to culture and the arts as essential for a well-rounded society. From providing education and understanding cultural heritage to promoting tourism, access to culture and the arts has economic value.

“I understand the need to cut the grant, but I think closing the Ashcroft Centre would be a wrong choice. The Ashcroft provides classes and events in which the local community can participate on a regular basis. For the elderly and particularly those with disabilities, its central and accessible location enables them to take part in events which both stimulate the mind, raise the spirit, and allow regular social interaction. All these aspects can be vital for their physical and mental health, easing the burden on social care and the NHS.” 

Perceived impact on protected characteristics

Those who commented were asked whether their comments related to any protected characteristics or issues, 947 indicated a characteristic and the most frequently reported were:

  • Age – 32% (these mentioned both young people, young families and older adults)
  • Poverty – 30% (grant reduction would make culture and arts unaffordable and out of reach of those less well-off)
  • Disability – 28% (referenced activities provided for people with both physical and learning disabilities and mental health issues; many of the comments particularly related to Ashcroft Arts Centre)

Suggested alternatives to the proposal

372 respondents chose to provide comments on this proposal suggested any alternatives to the proposal or how they felt the service could be carried out differently. Most comments (56%) suggested HCT develop other forms of revenue generation and cost reductions. 14% stated they can, or should be, self-funding.

An unstructured response included a proposal for the Andover Museum. This proposal included selling its current site and reinvesting in relocating the museum to the town centre. There was a wide range of additional and detailed suggestions which have been passed to the Department for consideration, both in relation to preparing recommendations on this proposal and for managing the service generally.

Additional Responses

Please note that an additional 38 paper response forms to the Hampshire Cultural Trust proposals and 10 unstructured responses were returned to us by Ashcroft Arts Centre more than a week after the consultation closing date. All of these responses were from users of the Ashcroft Arts Centre. The delayed arrival of these forms has meant that their data has not been included as part of the consultation analysis.

However, given the expectation of those respondents that their forms would be passed on in good time, we have read & considered these separately. The sentiment within these responses was similar to that of other respondents who have used the Ashcroft Arts Centre in the previous six months. The impacts reported in these responses were also the same. Namely, they see this service as essential and have commented that the closure of the Ashcroft Arts Centre would negatively impact community well-being, education, physical and mental health and reduce access to culture and arts. The quotes given in this summary reflect the comments made in these additional responses. The unstructured responses received were pieces of artwork from members of a learning disability art group with comments stating what benefits they get from the activities that they attend at the Ashcroft Art Centre (such as socialising, building confidence through art, drama and dance and feeling safe).