Coventry's Arts and Heritage Service was transferred to a trust on 1 April. The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Lunt Roman Fort and Priory Visitor Centre will continue to be owned by Coventry City Council, but will be managed by the newly formed Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust.
A shadow board of directors was set up in March and will become a full board this month.
Gary Hall, chief executive of Coventry Transport Museum, which moved to trust status in 2003, is a board member. "It opens up new opportunities for funding for the Herbert that we can't get under the council's ownership," he said.
"It will be managed by a small group, which will make it a lot tighter and more efficient."
Hall added that trust status had enabled the Transport Museum to determine the way it wanted to develop.
He said all staff are to be transferred under the same terms of employment from the council to the new trust. The trust plans to increase visitors and sales, but Hall said it was too early to project turnover or footfall.
The first chief executive of the Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust will be Ludo Keston, who will take up the position this month. Formerly the Royal Shakespeare Company's general manager he was, prior to that, the chief executive at York's Theatre Royal.
The £20m redevelopment of the Herbert, which is to be finished this year, will continue to be managed by the council.
A shadow board of directors was set up in March and will become a full board this month.
Gary Hall, chief executive of Coventry Transport Museum, which moved to trust status in 2003, is a board member. "It opens up new opportunities for funding for the Herbert that we can't get under the council's ownership," he said.
"It will be managed by a small group, which will make it a lot tighter and more efficient."
Hall added that trust status had enabled the Transport Museum to determine the way it wanted to develop.
He said all staff are to be transferred under the same terms of employment from the council to the new trust. The trust plans to increase visitors and sales, but Hall said it was too early to project turnover or footfall.
The first chief executive of the Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust will be Ludo Keston, who will take up the position this month. Formerly the Royal Shakespeare Company's general manager he was, prior to that, the chief executive at York's Theatre Royal.
The £20m redevelopment of the Herbert, which is to be finished this year, will continue to be managed by the council.
