Five Lancashire museums under threat of closure

Five museums in Lancashire are under threat of closure because the council can no longer afford to fund them.

The Judges' Lodgings Museum in Lancaster, the Maritime Museum in Fleetwood, the Museum of Lancashire in Preston, Queen Street Mill Textile Museum in Burnley, and the Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in Rossendale are under threat because of a lack of funding.

Lancashire County Council has announced it has entered negotiations with four organisations which have applied to take over the museums.

Under the plans agreed today, the five museums will close to the public on 30 September 2016 while negotiations continue with the organisations which have applied to take them over.

The council said it hopes negotiations are concluded as soon as possible with a view to the transfers being made by 31 December 2016.