Plans to cut costs and improve services at Haworth Art Gallery have been given council backing.
Town hall bosses approved plans at a cabinet meeting this week to participate in the Pennine Lancashire Museums and Galleries Shared Services Project.
The project will look at options for savings and efficiencies by analysing budgets and services.
This would include examining the potential for shared services with other museums in the area, improving catering facilities and filling new vacancies with either job-shares or volunteers.
A total of nine facilities are taking part in the project including Rossendale Museum, Helmshore Mill and Blackburn Museum.
Conservative councillor Lynn Wilson, cabinet member for leisure, arts and parks, said: “The actual running costs of the gallery are quite expensive and are an extensive sum of money on council tax.
“We have felt for some time that whilst the museum is a wonderful facility in Hyndburn it could do with more people using it and more awareness of it in the current climate.”
She added: “It’s not about getting rid of what we have got but about bringing it into the 21st century.
“If we are to keep it and make it a more desirable place to go we have got to think sharper about running it.”
Labour council leader Miles Parkinson said: “Spending on museums and arts is not something people want to see money going to straight away and we have to look at carefully how we can manage costs.”
