Campaign group criticises museum closure date announcement
A campaign group has criticised officials for giving a date for a Leicestershire museum to shut.
The county council has said it cannot afford the Snibston Discovery Museum's £900,000 annual running costs. The local authority needs to save £120 million over the next year.
It has proposed to close the museum on 31 July but supporters have criticised the decision to give the date before the issue is debated at a full council meeting on 18 February.
The proposed closure date was chosen to link in with the end of the school year in Leicestershire and other parts of the Midlands.
Earlier this month, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet agreed to close the current venue.
The decision came after the council and an independent assessor judged the Friends of Snibston’s plans to retain the current venue were unviable.
The Century Theatre and the country park will remain open after this date. The historic pithead buildings, which are a scheduled ancient monument, will continue to be maintained.
However the Friends of Snibston have said they feel the decision to announce a closure date before the full council meeting next month was made to "dampen spirits and ward off public interest". They insist the campaign to save the museum is far from over.
A mass rally and demonstration is planned on 18 February to show support for the museum and its team of staff and volunteers.
More: More than 2,000 sign petition to save Snibston Discovery Park