Southampton City Council's £180m art collection and other valuables could be left unguarded if two town sergeants are axed, it is feared

Cash-strapped city council leaders are looking to axe the two town sergeants who guard the Civic Centre building overnight.

They insist everything contained in the Grade I-listed building will be safe, saying alarms and other security measures will be in place.

But there have been fears that axing the two sergeants to save £30,000 will lead to artefacts in the Mayor’s Parlour and some of the city’s £180m art collection being more at risk of damage or theft.

As previously reported, Labour council leaders say they are faced with an ongoing cash crisis due to shrivelling handout in Government funding.

The authority recently announced proposals to plug a £30m gap for 2015/16 by axing up to 300 jobs and putting council tax up by almost two per cent.

Now the two town sergeants who look after the Civic Centre at night, weekends and bank holidays could also be set for the axe.

The Floating Bridge by Lowry is part of the city's £180m art collection

The city council says their jobs are at risk, and that the move could save £30,000 a year after other “alternative security measures” such as security staff monitoring alarms and patrols which will visit the building each night, are put in place.

The Grade I-listed building contains the Mayor’s Parlour, with its collection of civic heirlooms built up over the past centuries, and the entrance to the archive where much of the city’s £180m art collection is stored.

Only 200 pieces can be shown in the gallery at any one time, while a number of other works are out on loan, meaning most of the 4,000-strong collection is hidden away in the archives at the Civic Centre.

The collection was uninsured until 2010, when a policy cover was brought in to insure all items.

A city council spokesman said: “The Night Security Officers are stationed in the Civic Centre however they do not provide security for either Sea City or the Art Gallery, whose security is managed separately, including independent alarm system.

“As the council will shortly be left with the Civic Centre only as central office accommodation there is no longer the need to monitor other buildings and security can be adequately provided using alternative measures such as third party alarm monitoring and mobile patrols.

“Staff were consulted prior to the savings being approved and will continue to be supported following the council’s policies and procedures with a view to full re-employment.”

Wilhelm Muhlfeld by Renoir is also in the city's collection

If the jobs are lost, the changes are not expected to take place until late next year.

Council opposition leader Royston Smith said: “It’s a demonstration of what is important to Labour.

“They refuse to cut the number of councillors but they will leave the city’s most valuable artefacts unguarded. It’s a disgrace.

“There is a major contradiction here – the council says that you can’t possibly sell off any of the artwork, but you can leave it unattended at night.

Cllr Royston Smith

“There could be an incident such as a fire, flooding from a burst water pipe or a burglary and cameras will just not be able to pick it up in the way the sergeants do.

“It’s only one building we have now, and it houses precious treasures that the city has built up over the years.

“It’s not just the monetary value of those items, it’s the heritage of this city, items that go back many generations.”

And city historian John Avery said: “I would be very, very concerned, obviously the sergeants have got a lot of experience of the building and know all about it.

“I would say it was essential they have actual human beings in the building to keep an eye on things.

“They would be able to react to something going wrong in a way that an alarm system wouldn’t be able to.”

Labour Council deputy leader Stephen Barnes-Andrews said: “We have got security in place, it will stay in place and I’m fairly confident that the measures we have got will deal with the situation.”