IT is a £130m art collection that is the jewel in Southampton City Council's crown.

Yet only a small part of the 3,500 collection - described as one of the best outside London - is ever on display.

Now Tory council chiefs are planning to take more of the paintings out of storage and show them off to the public.

The art work will be offered to more galleries and other display venues - including cruise ships - under a review ordered by city council's Conservative administration.

The Tories also want to make much more of a loan scheme to turn a profit on the collection, which was last valued five years ago.

It comes after pressure on the council from the Daily Echo last year to publicly say where all its paintings are displayed.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Cabinet member for finance, said he first wanted to get the collection insured - likely to cost about £50,000.

The Labour group cancelled a policy 12 years ago because it didn't want to pay the high premiums leaving the council exposed to risks from fire, theft or vandalism.

The collection, which spans six centuries from the Renaissance to the present day, has been designated by the Government as having special national significance.

But only 200 or so paintings are on display in the city's art galleries, visited by almost 5,000 people a month, with a further 275 on loan.

The council's current target for art lease income is £53,000, up from £41,000 last year.

A painting valued at under £2,000 can be leased for as little as £73 a year with those worth up to £30,000, the top bracket available, going for just £357.

At present 109 are leased to conference centres, 124 to local offices, 13 within the civic centre and 24 with schools. A further four are at UK galleries.

The council's most valuable painting, Turner's Fishermen Upon a Lee-Shore in Squally Weather, is on display at the city gallery.

The full art collection, which details what is on display although not loaned, can be viewed at www.southampton.gov.uk/leisure/arts/sotonartgallery.