Council disposed of 2,300 artworks over five years

A council in Surrey has disposed of more than 2,000 works of art since 2021.

Elmbridge Borough Council said it had disposed of 1,436 items from its collection in 2021-22 and a further 927 the following financial year. None have been disposed of since 2023-24.

A council spokesperson said 25 items that "weren't relevant to Elmbridge" were sold for £319 and the rest were passed on to other organisations.

"We periodically review our collection so we can continue to collect and preserve items that tell the story of Elmbridge," they said.

The works sold in August 2022 included a line drawing of a World War One soldier from 1927, some watercolour portraits of women and watercolours of various flora and birds.

The spokesperson said: "Where an item is identified for disposal, we first consider whether it can have a new life through our learning resources.

"If not, we seek to pass it to another museum or an appropriate not-for-profit organisation, such as a theatre or home education group."

The figures, from a Freedom of Information request by the BBC, showed 16,819 works remained in the council's collection with only one on display as of April.

The authority said the art was among the 40,000 objects in the Elmbridge Museum collection, which includes archaeology, geology and social history exhibits.

The artwork collection was comprised of nearly 15,700 photographs, more than 1,000 works on paper such as sketches, 50 oil paintings and 14 sculptures.

The council spokesperson said the museum took collections "out into the community through displays, exhibitions, school learning resources, outreach activities and our digital channels".

"We currently have five physical displays at locations across Elmbridge and regularly rotate objects to explore different periods, events and stories from our local history," they said.

A BBC investigation found that across England, as of April, less than 5% of council-owned art was on display.

This is based on comparable Freedom of Information disclosures from 225 out of 316 English councils.

Elsewhere in Surrey, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Spelthorne, Tandridge and Woking councils reported having a handful of artworks.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council said it had 103 works, a quarter of which were displayed.

Surrey Heath Borough Council reported owning 400 works.

The local authority said it rotated the paintings on public display at its offices and the Surrey Heath Museum, with an average of 31 on display at any one time.

"We are also in the process of making our painting collection available online to further improve accessibility," said a spokesperson.

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