Council funding for Hall Gardens to end

COUNCIL funding for Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is set to come to an end in 2022.
In the past the historic site – often described as “a hidden gem” – has relied heavily on local authority support.
And while another £75,000 will be handed over during the next three years, the council has said that this will be the “final grant”.
It has not entirely shut the door on offering further help in future, but the pay-out will bring the long-term arrangement to an end.
It is hoped this cash, and a separate grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will help the gardens on its way to becoming self-sufficient.
Coun Joe Tildesley, cabinet member for leisure, tourism and sport, has recently met with the trust which manages the site.
“We’ve given the Hall Gardens ... a considerable sum of money per year, around £35,000 a year,” he said.
“What we’ve decided is that we can’t carry on giving them that sum of money, so what we will do is give them this lump sum. [This will be] with the very clear understanding that they must then live by their own means. And I do know they have very ambitious plans.”
Coun Laura McCarthy (Lib Dem, Elmdon) said the gardens were a real credit to the borough.
“It’s such a gem – it’s a beautiful, beautiful venue.”
While the gardens survived the rapid expansion of the surrounding suburb during the 20th century, by the 1980s they had become badly overgrown.
It was then that a trust was set up to help restore the land to its former glory.
For the first 20 years or so, the visitor attraction had received money from both Solihull Council and Birmingham City Council.
The Birmingham money had come to an end around a decade ago, while Solihull had continued to provide funding at a reduced rate