Gwynedd Council has promised to take action following concerns that a museum and art gallery overspent its budget by more than £70,000 last year.

The figures for Storiel in Bangor, which have been described as “concerning”, have been blamed on staffing costs and lack of income.

As a result, the council is now looking to set up a new trust to support further fundraising activities.

Based at Bangor’s Bishop’s Palace, the former Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery was reopened as Storiel in 2016 following substantial upgrades worth  £2.6m, thanks to a partnership between Gwynedd Council and Bangor University.

The Grade II listed building, located in Ffordd Gwynedd, is the city’s second oldest surviving building, with part of it dating back to around 1500.

With a contribution of £1.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it was transformed to incorporate a shop, café, museum galleries, an art gallery and an activities room.

Despite promising visitor figures after it opened its doors, a report that was presented to the council cabinet in May highlighted “concern” regarding the financial situation, with Storiel having overspent its annual budget by £72,000 at the end of the 2018/19 financial year.

The authority blamed this on “a combination of overspend on staff and a lack of income” with a separate report in January noting an eagerness to “review the Storiel business model, in order to ensure the best use of the resource in a sustainable way”.

Admission to Storiel is free of charge, but donations are welcome and there is an on-site shop and cafe.

But according to Gwynedd Council, efforts will now be undertaken to encourage more fundraising activities to make up any future shortfall.

A spokesperson for the authority told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:  “We are working to address the over-spend in Storiel’s budget for the last financial year.

“As part of these efforts, we are in the process of supporting the establishment of the Storiel Development Trust that will support fundraising activities for Storiel in the future.

“The council is working closely with the Friends of Storiel and are also reviewing the structures at Storiel with the aim of developing funding applications to support activities.

“New events are being held which we hope will attract new audiences. We also have numerous family activities available through the year, including every Tuesday during school holidays.

“Storiel is home to a range of fascinating cultural and historical artefacts and we would encourage people to support Storiel and visit and enjoy the museum, the changing exhibitions, café and shop over the summer.

“Details about the latest events are available on the Storiel website www.storiel.cymru or by following the various social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.”