We urge Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) to reconsider proposals affecting the use of Stockport Art Gallery and War Memorial.
SMBC proposes to restrict opening times to Saturday and Sunday afternoons only, and to stop its historic use for temporary and community exhibitions.

The gallery will no longer fulfil its function as a place where contemporary art, local, regional or national, can be displayed and viewed, which it has done since opening in 1925.

Stockport Art Gallery and War Memorial is a unique Grade II listed building, built entirely from money raised from voluntary public subscriptions and appears to be the only one of its kind nationally.

We oppose the council’s proposals because it will:
• severely curtail the original intended functions of Stockport Art Gallery and War Memorial
• remove the only provision in Stockport of quality exhibition space for local and regional artists
• impact on the local community, by withdrawing the only independent focus on art in Stockport
• impact on the provincial role of Stockport in encouraging artistic endeavour and contributing to national cultural development