Vale of White Horse District Council has agreed a financial package to safeguard the future of Vale and Downland Museum. The council has offered the trust a grant of £270,000 to enable the museum trustees to pay for building work and plan a sustainable future. Councillor Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The council is keen to invest in the vitality of our towns’ economies and we believe that this one-off grant has the potential to put the museum on a firm footing for the future. “The museum contributes to the Wantage economy by attracting visitors to the town. It also plays an important role in the town’s cultural heritage. “The trustees have looked at a number of options to get the kind of funding they would need to pay for the building work and make the place viable for the coming years. “Our grant amounts to around 10-years worth of the kind of revenue funding they would receive from us. This arrangement means that the museum can look forward to a period of stability while the council will not be required to make any more grants until at least 2022.”