DUDLEY Council last night rubber stamped plans to make drastic cuts to save £20 million from its budget over the next three years.

Council bosses are trying to save cash after the loss of £65million in Government funding since 2010.

More than 133 full-time jobs across the council are at risk as part of this year’s proposal –and the number is expected to rise to 275 jobs by 2018/19.

Alongside job cuts, Dudley Museum and Art Gallery is also earmarked for closure with an option for the red-brick building to be development into offices or new homes.

Labour Councillor Tim Crumpton argued that one of the reasons the building should be closed is due to it being inaccessible to disabled people.

Speaking at the meeting of full council, Cllr Crumpton said: “The museum is quite inaccessible. We have just made Jordanne Whiley a freewoman of this borough and that same woman wouldn’t be able to visit a lot of the museum.

“I haven’t heard anybody who has a disability saying it’s a shame that the museum is closing, as they haven’t been able to access it in the first place.

“We have a number of other more suitable buildings in the borough which would showcase these artefacts in a way where everybody can get to.”

Conservative Councillor Michael Evans urged the council to reconsider closing the museum, calling the decision “deplorable”.

He added: “I would like to know how much closing the art gallery and museum will bring to the council?

“I think it’s deplorable at the stage to close the art gallery and I would like the whole of the council to reconsider this.

“We are losing so much in Dudley. It is too much of an important building.”

It is hoped that many of exhibits currently inside the museum will be displayed elsewhere in the borough, such as at the archives facility, in a joint scheme with Dudley Zoo or different venues around Dudley.

Councillor David Sparks, cabinet member for finance, said: “I have visited that museum more than any other member of this council.

“It is a very old building and all of the exhibits can be displayed to the public in a much better way than at the museum.

“The building itself is a Victorian building built for a Victorian age.”

Also victim of the council’s axe will be the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley and at Dudley Council Plus which will see their opening hours reduced, grants from the borough’s Centre for Equality and Diversity will be reduced and street lights in low risk areas are also set to be dimmed and even turned off in some locations.

Street cleansing, the pothole and resurfacing budget, provision of grit bins and gritting vehicles will also take a hit in the budget.