DIFFERING views over how the arts in Darlington should be managed over the coming years have been heard at a public meeting.

About 70 people attended the meeting, held at Darlington Arts Centre on Thursday evening, to discuss the cultural vision for Darlington.

The meeting was organised by Darlington for Culture, an organisation set up to protect the arts as Darlington Borough Council tries to trim £22m from its £107m annual budget.

One of the main topics of discussion was whether the group should focus all of its efforts on trying to save Darlington Arts Centre, or whether it should widen its ambitions and look beyond the building in Vane Terrace.

Paul Harman, chairman of the Darlington for Culture steering group, argued that people could do both.

He said: "We should start thinking about expanding people's experiences of the arts.

"We should not restrict ourselves to what currently exists."

However, one man at the meeting, argued: "We have a very limited time at the moment and we have expanded our vision.

"In order to do something in a very limited period we must focus like hell.

"Our first meeting was to keep this facility (the Arts Centre) as far as we can, and if we divert from that vision we're not going to achieve anything."

The council is going to keep the Arts Centre running as normal until the end of July, at which point it will reduce its subsidy and the centre may have to have reduced opening times and a smaller programme of events.

It is hoped by the end of the financial year in 2012, Darlington for Culture will be in a position to help with the running of the centre.

Darlington Arts manager Lynda Winstanley said: "I personally have a conviction that we're about to embark on a shared journey where myself asa council officer will not be predominating.

"My responsibility is to keep us moving so that we can come up with something that moves us forward.

"There will be a real shift in the balance of power in the way that the arts are delivered. This is more than bricks and mortar.

"This is an aging building and expensive bricks and mortar. We need a clear vision of what the arts could and should look like in Darlington for everybody to engage with, because we haven't got that at the moment and we need it."

People were invited to put ideas under four themes - education, people, venues and artists .

It is hoped that, over the next few weeks, and at future meetings, the vision will develop.