Charity rescues Herbert Art Gallery makeover as Coventry council pulls out
Coventry City Council’s decision to abandon the development of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum may be reversed after a …
Coventry City Council's decision to abandon the development of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum may be reversed after a storm of public protest.
The Herbert, which is in the Renaissance in the Regions West Midlands phase one hub, has attracted £7m in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), but these will only be delivered with match funding.
In February, the Conservative-run council, in its first budget meeting since being elected last June, made a decision to put the money towards highways, rather than culture, effectively turning down the further funding.
'The reality was that the council had to revisit schemes that it was not contractually committed to,' said John McGuigan, the council's director of city development. 'Because the gallery was an uncommitted scheme, it had to go.'
However, McGuigan and the rest of the council were taken aback at the level of public support for the Herbert. Complaints came from all sections of the city, ranging from the Indian Youth Association to the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
The situation was aggravated by a leaked council memo which revealed that withdrawing from the scheme, rather than saving money, would actually cost the local authority £1.5m, although McGuigan says that this figure could be as high as £2.5m.
In the end a local charity, the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, has come to the Herbert's rescue, offering to fund some of the shortfall and save the HLF and ERDF grants. The Higgs charity is in talks with another charitable body that may also help with funding.
Peter Knatchbull-Hugessen, the clerk for the Higgs Charity, said that it would still be looking for some investment from the council: 'We have seen some headline numbers, but have not discussed details yet.'
But Darren Jones, the chairman of the Coventry branch of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, thinks that the council should be fulfilling its commitments: 'It is the council's role to fund the gallery,' he said. 'It sends worrying messages when funders can look at us and say, that's the city that turns our money away.'
Asked if the new arrangements would affect the grant funding, HLF said only that it was in 'ongoing discussions' with the council.
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Advantage West Midlands have both written to the council.
MLA's letter particularly stressed the implications of withdrawing funding from a Renaissance hub, and the negative impact that would have at a local and national level.
David Crowther, MLA's project director for Renaissance in the Regions, said: 'It is a matter of real concern. We expect governing bodies to be
fully backing hub partners as they drive museum services forward. If the funding represents a genuine reduction in the council's support, we would have to look seriously at whether it remained eligible for support from Renaissance.'
Helen Wilkinson, the Museums Association's policy officer, said: 'We hope that MLA will do everything in its power to ensure that local authorities increase, rather than lessen, their support for Renaissance-funded museums, so that we can avoid a repeat of this unfortunate situation.'
The Herbert, which is in the Renaissance in the Regions West Midlands phase one hub, has attracted £7m in grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), but these will only be delivered with match funding.
In February, the Conservative-run council, in its first budget meeting since being elected last June, made a decision to put the money towards highways, rather than culture, effectively turning down the further funding.
'The reality was that the council had to revisit schemes that it was not contractually committed to,' said John McGuigan, the council's director of city development. 'Because the gallery was an uncommitted scheme, it had to go.'
However, McGuigan and the rest of the council were taken aback at the level of public support for the Herbert. Complaints came from all sections of the city, ranging from the Indian Youth Association to the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
The situation was aggravated by a leaked council memo which revealed that withdrawing from the scheme, rather than saving money, would actually cost the local authority £1.5m, although McGuigan says that this figure could be as high as £2.5m.
In the end a local charity, the Alan Edward Higgs Charity, has come to the Herbert's rescue, offering to fund some of the shortfall and save the HLF and ERDF grants. The Higgs charity is in talks with another charitable body that may also help with funding.
Peter Knatchbull-Hugessen, the clerk for the Higgs Charity, said that it would still be looking for some investment from the council: 'We have seen some headline numbers, but have not discussed details yet.'
But Darren Jones, the chairman of the Coventry branch of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, thinks that the council should be fulfilling its commitments: 'It is the council's role to fund the gallery,' he said. 'It sends worrying messages when funders can look at us and say, that's the city that turns our money away.'
Asked if the new arrangements would affect the grant funding, HLF said only that it was in 'ongoing discussions' with the council.
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Advantage West Midlands have both written to the council.
MLA's letter particularly stressed the implications of withdrawing funding from a Renaissance hub, and the negative impact that would have at a local and national level.
David Crowther, MLA's project director for Renaissance in the Regions, said: 'It is a matter of real concern. We expect governing bodies to be
fully backing hub partners as they drive museum services forward. If the funding represents a genuine reduction in the council's support, we would have to look seriously at whether it remained eligible for support from Renaissance.'
Helen Wilkinson, the Museums Association's policy officer, said: 'We hope that MLA will do everything in its power to ensure that local authorities increase, rather than lessen, their support for Renaissance-funded museums, so that we can avoid a repeat of this unfortunate situation.'