“IT CAN be done – it will just take guts.”

Those are the defiant words of a Southampton councillor determined to prove that the city’s extensive artwork collection can be sold to fund a new £21m arts complex after a request was refused by the Government.

Conservative councillor John Hannides told the Daily Echo that the terms of the Chipperfield bequest “supersede” any Government intervention and selling the largely hidden £150m collection CAN help fund the complex.

Now he is calling on “leadership” and “guts” to argue the case for Southampton.

It comes after Culture Minister Ed Vaizey refused a written request from council bosses to sell off items from the 4,000-piece collection without the city incurring tough penalties for doing so.

The joint letter was sent to the department by Southampton City Council leader Simon Letts and the London Borough of Croydon.

Cllr Hannides said: “I always saw the letter as a red herring . There is nothing at all in the existing framework that prohibits the sale of art.

“What the letter tried to do was to see if the Government would consider relaxing the existing framework to make it easier. The question is not ‘Can you sell art?’ You can.

“It makes no material difference at all seeking to sell art for the purpose of supporting the arts complex.

“What’s interesting is that one of the clauses of the original Chipperfield bequest states that resources from the bequest could be used to pay salaries and running costs of having the art gallery. To my knowledge, I am not aware that any of the resources have been taken.”

But council leader Simon Letts said the Chipperfield bequest only allows the sale of art – such as Rodin’s Crouching Woman and Sir Alfred Munning’s After the Race – if it would benefit the existing collection.

He said artwork may be sold off to pay for vital gallery roof repairs if there is no other way of raising the £1.75m required.

Councillor Letts said: “The bequest is clear that we can dispose of items providing we can make a clear case that the collection will benefit from the sale. The case we are making now is that we have a capital cost to fix the gallery roof and we are exploring ways with Arts Council South West and the Museums Association to raise additional funds through things like the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“If we cannot raise money through other means we will be looking at disposing some of our collection. But what is not in the bequest is to sell off art to fund other projects.”

Cllr Letts said they had an 18-month timetable to raise the funds before considering selling art.

Businessman Robert Chipperfield left his extensive art collection to the city as a bequest, under the guidance it would be used to build an art gallery, and establish a school of art.