Agenda item

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure providing an overview of progress made to date against the Museum Development Plan 2021-2026.

98.1    The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Councillor Andrew Lewis, introduced the Museum Development Plan Progress Update report and invited questions from Members.

98.2    The Chair asked whether the Council was confident that the Museum of Gloucester would retain its accreditation. Councillor Lewis confirmed that he was as confident as he could be.

98.3    In relation to the former Folk of Gloucester Museum decant, the Chair asked whether all of its collections were being decanted to the Museum of Gloucester. The Head of Culture confirmed that there were a large number of items belonging to the Museum of Gloucester which were still at the Folk of Gloucester Museum. He noted that there was previously a list of around 1000 objects which the Folk of Gloucester wished to retain, however the position had now changed and it was likely that all items would be decanted to the Museum of Gloucester.

98.4    In response to a further question from the Chair as to whether there were any security concerns around this collection, Councillor Lewis replied that he was not aware of security concerns from the Folk of Gloucester Museum.

98.5    Councillor Pullen referred to 8.4 in the report regarding discussions with the county Library service and asked for clarification that the building was in the ownership of the County Council rather than the City Council, to which Councillor Lewis confirmed that it was.

98.6    Councillor Pullen asked whether it would make sense for the museum to expand into the library building when it became vacant. Councillor Lewis advised that conversations regarding the future use of the space were ongoing with the County Council and confirmed that the library was due to relocate to the former Debenhams building towards the end of the year.

98.7    Councillor Hilton referred to 3.5 in the report regarding the accreditation renewal for the Museum of Gloucester. He asked what the deadline of the submission of returns was, and how onerous a task it would be for Officers. He also asked whether there would be any budgetary impact as a result of this process. The Head of Culture advised that the Council had not yet received a timeframe and that the submission could take several months to prepare. This said, he confirmed that the culture service had systems in place and that he did not believe it would require additional financial resource.

98.8    Councillor Tracey referred to surplus disposals and asked whether there were any opportunities to sell on some collections such as clothes and pottery. The Head of Culture explained that good collection management did require disposal, however in order to achieve accreditation, the museum needed to follow a designated process rather than opting to sell items at first instance. He noted that financially motivated sales could take place, however other options, such as decanting to other museums, should be considered first.

98.9    In response to a question from Councillor A. Chambers regarding collection digitisation and the prospect of an online portal, Councillor Lewis explained that collections needed to be recorded and catalogued properly and that a portal was a future ambition of the Council.

98.10  Councillor A. Chambers asked for an explanation as to what was meant by decolonisation project. The Head of Culture explained that this involved looking at the origins of collections and whether they were linked to colonialism and ensuring that the history of those items were put into context.

98.11  In response to a further question from Councillor A. Chambers, the Head of Culture confirmed that there was no intention to remove such artifacts from the city’s collections.

98.12  In response to an additional question from Councillor A. Chambers regarding the prevalence of RAAC in the Museum of Gloucester, the Head of Culture advised that there was a small amount of RAAC present in a small area of the roof of the building. He advised that an initial assessment had confirmed that this was stable, and that as the Museum was currently undergoing MEND works, a structural engineer was investigating further and would establish whether any additional work needed to be undertaken.

98.13  Councillor Dee asked whether loan boxes for schools were still on offer. The Head of Culture advised that loan boxes were very popular and that sometimes schools tended to keep them longer than anticipated. He noted that the team were looking into improving the service going forward.

98.14  Councillor Lewis noted that the Head of Culture was shortly leaving the Council for an alternative role, and paid tribute to him for his work. The Chair reiterated thanks on behalf of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to the Head of Culture.

          RESOLVED – That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee NOTE the update.