Northumberland Council to consider proposals to shake-up its museums

Pressure on council budgets means Northumberland's museums services are set to be taken in house.

Northumberland County Council’s cabinet are due to take a decision on the future of the county's key cultural assets on 8 October.

Currently, many museums including Woodhorn Museum in Ashington and the Old Gaol in Hexham are operated by an independent charity called Woodhorn Charitable Trust, also known as Museums Northumberland.

It is expected they will be taken in-house, with the council entering a “shared services arrangement” alongside Tyne and Wear Museums (TWAM), which has been running services in Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside since 1986.

A report, which will be presented to cabinet on Tuesday 8 October, states the council is “seeking to make savings in a number of areas” due to pressures on the adult social care and children’s services budget.

A review conducted earlier this year recommended the in-house approach as the most financially sound option.

The report adds that the inclusion of Northumberland’s cultural assets within TWAM would be “mutually beneficial” and “would add value and expand the regional museums offer”.

The Conservative leader of the council, Glen Sanderson, told the Local Democracy Reporting service: “This will save money because we think we will get a wider service that will encourage more people to come and visit our museums.

"That way we will save money per head of population.

“The more people that come, the better for us. We need to make sure every penny we spend is being picked up – and enjoyed – by as many people as possible.”

Councillor Sanderson also confirmed that staff working for Museums Northumberland would be transferred to the new model.

He added: “At the end of the day what we have to look for is who is going to produce the best service and the best value for money.

"This process has been going on for about a year to make sure that all the key important things were considered.

“Museums are very important and so to that end it is really important that we make sure we get the best possible offer for Northumberland.

"Staff will be transferred across – what happens after that is down to the new operator.

“There’s not very much you can find to oppose something that amounts to ensuring the best possible offer and the best possible offer as long as jobs are protected.”

Councillor Liz Dunn, Northumberland Labour’s shadow cabinet member with responsibility for culture, said she was supportive of the plans but that she and her party would be keeping a “close eye” on how things operated under the new system.

She said: “This has been ongoing for a while.

"The review of the delivery model has come against a background of growing pressure on the administration.

“There is a lot of budgetary pressures on statutory services.

"We can understand where the Conservatives are coming from, but the main thing is we have to protect Woodhorn and the other heritage assets that we have got.

“We need a sustainable way forward; if this is it we have got to watch it carefully.

"There’s always disappointment when something changes – unfortunately this is where we have ended up.

"Woodhorn is a massive asset – it is a jewel in the crown for the south east of the county.

"We have got to protect our museums going forward."

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