Erewash Museum in Derbyshire is being considered as part of a council-wide review by Erewash Borough Council. According to the council's chief executive, the options are: closure of the museum; relocation to a different site; or reducing the service to one of the two floors and putting the remaining objects into storage.
A motion for the council executive to commit to 'foster and improve' the museum service in its existing building was to be put to a vote in a council meeting as Museums Journal went to press. But John Rice, the chief executive, said: 'The motion should be defeated. No decision should be made until council members have seen all the options.' The review is expected to be complete by February 2005 at the latest.
Rice said the council has identified a £2.5m shortfall in its 2004/5 to 2006/7 budget. 'The clock is ticking now. We can call on reserves at the end of this year but at the end of 2006/7 that money will be gone,' he said. The museum costs the council £160,000 per annum.
Rice said that the museum is situated in the town centre but has restricted parking that has led to low usage of the museum. Visitor figures stand at 17,000 but Rice said they should be around 25,000.
He said the council also needs to spend money on bringing the museum in line with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), for example by installing a ramp to the front entrance and providing disabled access to the first floor.
But Vicky Geddes, the museum service manager, said there were other options. She said there was ground-floor disabled access via a side door and added that items could be brought down to the ground floor, if feasible.
Earlier this year, Daventry Museum, also in the East Midlands, closed because of the council running into financial difficulties. Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery in the West Midlands was under threat of having its collections dispersed in July.
Julie Biddlecombe, the curator of the Westbury Manor Museum, and Geddes' predecessor, said: 'The hubs should be aware of this. If it is a national trend, it should be addressed at higher levels.' Geddes said: 'I would be amazed if this isn't a pattern around the country.'
Felicity Heywood
A motion for the council executive to commit to 'foster and improve' the museum service in its existing building was to be put to a vote in a council meeting as Museums Journal went to press. But John Rice, the chief executive, said: 'The motion should be defeated. No decision should be made until council members have seen all the options.' The review is expected to be complete by February 2005 at the latest.
Rice said the council has identified a £2.5m shortfall in its 2004/5 to 2006/7 budget. 'The clock is ticking now. We can call on reserves at the end of this year but at the end of 2006/7 that money will be gone,' he said. The museum costs the council £160,000 per annum.
Rice said that the museum is situated in the town centre but has restricted parking that has led to low usage of the museum. Visitor figures stand at 17,000 but Rice said they should be around 25,000.
He said the council also needs to spend money on bringing the museum in line with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), for example by installing a ramp to the front entrance and providing disabled access to the first floor.
But Vicky Geddes, the museum service manager, said there were other options. She said there was ground-floor disabled access via a side door and added that items could be brought down to the ground floor, if feasible.
Earlier this year, Daventry Museum, also in the East Midlands, closed because of the council running into financial difficulties. Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery in the West Midlands was under threat of having its collections dispersed in July.
Julie Biddlecombe, the curator of the Westbury Manor Museum, and Geddes' predecessor, said: 'The hubs should be aware of this. If it is a national trend, it should be addressed at higher levels.' Geddes said: 'I would be amazed if this isn't a pattern around the country.'
Felicity Heywood
