Hampshire Cultural Trust says it must make up to 20 people redundant as part of cost-cutting drive

Hampshire Cultural Trust operates several venues including Westbury Manor Museum in Fareham, Gosport Museum, and several in Winchester.

It says it is having to restructure to safeguard its future and increase its focus on generating income.

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Paul Sapwell, the trust’s chief executive, said it is ‘taking action now to protect our organisation and put in place a structure that will sustain us in the long term’.

He added: ‘Changes unfortunately mean that we will have to make some very difficult decisions, but it is only by doing this that we will be able to continue to deliver high-quality arts and culture both for our communities and visitors to the county in the long term.’

The consultation process at Hampshire Cultural Trust will take place ‘over the coming weeks’. They will be undergoing a two-way consultation process with those members of the staff who are affected.

The trust is already in contact with those who are in risk, which could potentially result in up to 20 posts being lost. It currently employs 210 full-time and part-time members and is looking to place those people at risk into alternative roles within the organisation.

The consultation will continue throughout the month and the new structure will be in place by February 6.

The trust says that its venues and activities recovered well and continue to be popular, however visitors spend less as a result of the pandemic, inflation and the increase of utility bills, and that it needs to absorb a higher wage cost.

In November for the first time the trust was awarded funding of £500,000 a year as a part of Arts Council England’s 2023-26 Investment Programme run by the National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).

Mr Sapwell said that the NPO funding for 2023-2026 ‘will be crucial’ in supporting the additional work in three of Arts Council England’s priority places in Hampshire – Gosport, Rushmoor and the New Forest.

‘However, Hampshire Cultural Trust is a countywide organisation with 24 venues,’ he said. ‘While there will be some impact from the NPO funding on our core costs, it will be minimal.’

Hampshire City Council and Winchester City Council has agreed not to reduce their grant to the trust in 2023/24 which for Mr Sapwell is ‘welcome and critical’, however is still not enough.

At this stage, the trust does not intend to close permanently any of its 24 venues, however along with the further redundancies, other measures are going to be in place as a part of the restructuring.

Reviewing opening times and entry prices, food and drink prices or the implementation of new ticket prices, will be part of the reorganisation.

‘We will plan to review prices in all areas of the business but we have to be careful to pass the cost on to the clients,’ said Mr Sapwell.

Hampshire Cultural Trust was established as an independent charity in 2014 and runs 24 museums, arts centres and attraction that were previously operated by Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council. It looks after 2.5 million objects relating to Hampshire’s heritage.