Vital funding extension agreed for theatre and gallery

At a Full Council meeting on Tuesday 19 November, Chichester District councillors agreed that Chichester Festival Theatre (opens new window) should receive £187,500 for the period 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026, while Pallant House Gallery (opens new window) would receive £130,000 for the same period.

"At the moment, the new government is undertaking a spending review, and so we need to wait for the results of this before the council can plan its own spending with more certainty," explains Councillor John Cross, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Place at Chichester District Council. "However, we realise what a huge contribution both these organisations make to our district culturally, economically, and socially, and we wanted to ensure that they continued to be supported over the next year.

"The cultural grant that we provide to the theatre also enables it to unlock further crucial funding of over £1.7 million each year from Arts Council England."

Chichester District Council has recently undertaken economic impact assessments with the theatre and gallery to identify the positive impact they have on the local economy. In addition, each organisation has also commissioned its own social impact assessment to capture the benefits that their facilities, events and activities have on the local community.

"Economically, both organisations make a huge contribution to the area, using many local businesses and suppliers," says Cllr Cross. "The recent economic impact assessment for Chichester Festival Theatre found it had a gross economic output of just over £25 million and supported 486 jobs, while Pallant House Gallery has a gross economic output of £9.3 million and supports 135 jobs. For every £1 that we put towards each cultural grant, this results in additional economic activity of £141 by the theatre and £54 by the gallery, which shows a large positive return on investment.

"The arts are there for everyone to access and benefit from, and both these organisations work hard to offer a huge range of inclusive activities, events and other opportunities beyond their headline shows and exhibitions. These make a huge difference to many hard-to-reach groups and have a positive impact on people's mental health and general wellbeing."

The council will continue working with Chichester Festival Theatre and Pallant House Gallery to measure and review their delivery for the funding extension period that has been agreed.

Date of Release: 20 November 2024                                                    

Reference: 4407