The future of Ashcroft Arts Centre
In January of this year, Hampshire Cultural Trust confirmed that Ashcroft Arts Centre was at risk of closure due to a proposed reduction in the organisation’s central funding from Hampshire County Council under its current budget review.
The County Council began a public consultation in January, which closed at the end of March. The results of the consultation have been published, and the County Council has been analysing the feedback to inform their decision making on whether or not to proceed with the proposed options for savings to meet a £132 million shortfall in its budget for 2025-26. The final decision on funding was due to be made in July, however, this has now been put back to October.
It has therefore been necessary to put in place a temporary pause to arts and community programming at Ashcroft Arts Centre with effect from the end of September. This does not pre-judge any final decision regarding the future of the Ashcroft but is a reflection of the operational challenges and realities of running a public programme in a venue that is under threat of closure. A further update on the future of Ashcroft Arts Centre will be issued in due course.