Proposals for the Turnpike Gallery

Proposals for the Turnpike Gallery

Community groups are being invited to share their ideas about running Leigh’s Turnpike Gallery.



Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT), who manage the Turnpike Centre on behalf of Wigan Council, today launched a consultation called an ‘Invitation for Proposals’ with the aim of encouraging community groups or individuals to come forward and share their ideas on how the gallery could be run in the future.



“All ideas big or small are welcome, we’d like to hear from as many community groups as possible interested in running the Turnpike Gallery in future,” says Pete Gascoigne, Executive Director of Culture for WLCT. “Despite huge budget pressures we want the gallery and associated space on the first floor of the building to continue to be used for the promotion and exhibition of visual arts and crafts. In order to achieve this we want to work with a community group in future. This process starts with an Invitation of Proposals which outline how you or your organisation will deliver these services.”



The changes are a result of central government spending cuts to local authorities. Wigan Council are required to reduce their budget by £75.6m by 2015/16.



By April 2014 WLCT’s contract with Wigan Council to manage leisure and cultural services will have reduced by £6.4m since the Government announced the Comprehensive Spending review in 2010. WLCT has reviewed its entire Wigan portfolio and identified savings during this period which, through innovation and working with community groups, have ensured many leisure and cultural services are still available to the public.



Cllr Chris Ready, Cabinet member for Leisure and Culture, added: “We have worked tremendously hard with our partners at WLCT to protect frontline leisure and culture services despite huge government cuts to town hall budgets.



“This has been achieved through pioneering new ways of delivery which includes strengthening links and working with community groups, friends of groups and volunteers who will play a key role in future.”



These proposals only relate to the gallery on the first floor. WLCT will continue to manage the Turnpike Centre on Wigan Council’s behalf.



The Turnpike Gallery will continue to be run by WLCT in the immediate future as this new way of delivering exhibitions from the gallery is developed - there will be no immediate change. The ‘Invitation for Proposals’ consultation will end on Friday 5 July 2013.