Two specialist curatorial roles at Kendal Museum have been saved from redundancy despite councillors approving a proposed restructure.
Kendal College, which took over the management of the museum from South Lakeland District Council in 2009, earmarked the two part-time posts – a curator with responsibility for the archaeology and social history collections, and the natural history curator – for redundancy.
But a new part-time post of curator/manager will now be created. The college said the move would allow the museum to extend its opening hours from four days a week to five.
A spokesman for Kendal College said the new role would “consolidate the responsibilities necessary for the museum to continue its progress towards sustainability and to provide a better and more educational visitor experience”.
Councillors approved the restructure, but the curators proposed that one would take on the role of curator/manager and the other take a part-time position in a curatorial capacity for one afternoon a week.
Kendal College said this proposal had been accepted. Unison, the public services union, had previously criticised the redundancies as unnecessary in light of a six-year grant from South Lakeland District Council that covered staffing costs.
Kendal College, which took over the management of the museum from South Lakeland District Council in 2009, earmarked the two part-time posts – a curator with responsibility for the archaeology and social history collections, and the natural history curator – for redundancy.
But a new part-time post of curator/manager will now be created. The college said the move would allow the museum to extend its opening hours from four days a week to five.
A spokesman for Kendal College said the new role would “consolidate the responsibilities necessary for the museum to continue its progress towards sustainability and to provide a better and more educational visitor experience”.
Councillors approved the restructure, but the curators proposed that one would take on the role of curator/manager and the other take a part-time position in a curatorial capacity for one afternoon a week.
Kendal College said this proposal had been accepted. Unison, the public services union, had previously criticised the redundancies as unnecessary in light of a six-year grant from South Lakeland District Council that covered staffing costs.
