I recently visited Ford Green Hall to see the finishes to their recent renovation work and to see how we can work together regarding their long term funding.
I am pleased following the excellent work of our city’s Heritage Champion, Cllr James Smith, and the meetings I had with officials at the council, Ford Green Hall will keep retain their current funding from Stoke-on-Trent City Council for the 2022/23 financial year.
I look forward to working with the City Council and Ford Green Hall Trustees to make sure they are ready to be self sufficient and funded going forward, as was always the expectation and agreement made a number of years ago.
Other tweaks for the 2022/23 budget proposal to go before Full Council include:
Pause to specialist ceramic curator changes in order to come up with a revised curatorial staffing model
The Gladstone Pottery Museum will see the museum open to the public at Christmas, February half-term and possibly some weekends in the winter months
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, will now open exclusively for school visits on Tuesdays and the rest of the public Wednesday to Sunday