Kent County Council budget cuts to sports and arts revealed

Turner Contemporary would lose £100,000 in next year's budget but KCC said gallery trustees had said they could manage the reduction in the grant

Funding for sports, music tuition and Margate's Turner Contemporary could be cut under Kent County Council's (KCC) planned budget, it has been revealed.

KCC began consultation on its budget last month, but has said the figures did not include cuts under £300,000.

Kent Messenger Newspaper Group obtained details of cuts of £200,000 to sports development, £200,000 to Kent Music and £100,000 to the art gallery.

Council leader Paul Carter said KCC had focused on larger budget changes.

'No impact on gallery'

He said: "We've published our consultation for next year's budget which freezes for the third year council tax for the residents of Kent, which I think is good news, and we've set out the big and significant changes in the budget in excess of £300,000.

"And in the endeavour to be as open and transparent as is possible, we've now published the smaller reductions in some of the budget headings to various journalists in Kent."

Mr Carter said KCC had discussed the cuts with Turner Contemporary trustees and added: "We've all got to tighten our belts and the trust believes that they can manage that reduction in grant to the Turner Contemporary with no impact on the great success the Turner Contemporary is delivering."

He also said Kent's record of encouraging sports participation had been "first class" and the county had a "very ambitious" sports development programme.

Budget proposals published last month showed savings of £60m (5.5%) from next year's £1.1bn budget.

Adult social care funding had been reduced by £18.8m (5%), children in care by £5.3m (3.7%) and education services by £3.5m (9.8%).