MP joins protest against relocation of Walsall Leather Museum

Up to 200 people attended a protest over the weekend against the planned closure and relocation of Walsall Leather Museum.

The Labour MP for Walsall and Bloxwich, Valerie Vaz, was among those at the demonstration alongside local artist Vicky Roden, and Linda Boys and Lauren Broxton, who have led the campaign against moving the museum from its current home in an original 19^th-century leather-working factory.

The campaigners say the museum’s current building is a key part of Walsall’s leatherworking heritage and the site acts as an important hub for cultivating skills in the leather industry. They have accused the council of moving ahead with the plans without meaningful public consultation.

The protest comes after news that the building has received Grade II listing status from Historic England, putting a question mark over Walsall Council’s plans to transform it into a facility for Walsall College students with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

In a post on LinkedIn, Broxton said protesters had wanted to “make their feelings known about the controversial decision and contentious transactions undertaken by Walsall Council and Walsall College to close Walsall Leather Museum”.

The council is planning to close the site on 11 April and announced earlier this month it announced that it had purchased a new building for the museum for £725,000.

The council said the new building is in a “more central” location at 1-3 The Bridge, which is located between the High Street and the Walsall Leather Skills Centre.

“Originally built as a drapers store, the building features a prominent corner frontage and was designed with large, full-height windows across the ground and first floors to display its goods,” said a statement from the council.

“The relocation of the Leather Museum to this site presents an opportunity to reveal and celebrate the building’s original character, re-establishing it as a prominent town centre landmark.”

Campaigners believe the relocation of the museum is symbolic of wider concerns about a lack of transparency, accountability and democratic decision-making in the town.

Broxton said the announcement about the new museum building “raises more concerns than it solves”.

“The council’s claim that transition plans are in place simply does not stack up,” she told Museums Journal. “With no guaranteed funding for refit or running costs, any move could take years—leaving the new building mothballed and the museum’s future in limbo.”

Campaigners believe the council has made efforts to avoid full scrutiny of the move, removing the proposal from its 2024 budget after a public backlash before reintroducing it as an operational decision in 2025.

Broxton said the council and the college had also failed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming the current building into a Send facility.

“The campaign has never opposed investment in Send provision. We fully support investment in and improving facilities for vulnerable learners,” she said. “But choosing a locally listed site, now a newly Grade II–listed heritage site—one that tells the story of Walsall’s leather industry in its original setting—makes no sense at all.”

A 2024 feasibility study leaked to local media earlier this year showed that the current museum site “could be made fully viable with some targeted investment in the building, marketing, and public engagement”, said Broxton. “The rush toward relocation feels less like strategic planning and more like a predetermined agenda.”

Linda Boys said the initial reason for relocating the museum, which was to save £190,000, “now seems to have gone out the window”.

“'That this is being celebrated as the remedy that was planned all along is not only last minute damage limitation but merely a sticking plaster on a colossal mishandling of our definitive cultural heritage,” said Boys.

“This is no longer a single issue campaign but rather one that has lifted the lid on historic failings by our council that spans failure to consult in line with protocol, breach of policy, reluctance to engage meaningfully with residents and bogus scrutiny.”

The council leader Mike Bird has rejected any suggestion that the decision lacked scrutiny. He told a council meeting last month that “the decision was considered transparently and published on the council’s website”.

“It has since been reviewed twice by the scrutiny committee who have the power to revert the decision to the council, but decided not to.”

Councillor Gary Flint, the portfolio holder for culture at Walsall Council, said: “Purchasing this building shows our commitment to Walsall Leather Museum and to showcasing Walsall’s proud leather-making heritage. The museum is not closing permanently, and we want to ensure it remains an important part of the borough’s cultural offer for future generations.

“This new site brings together two defining strands of Walsall’s heritage – its proud history as a market town and its international reputation for excellence in leather making.

“Relocating the museum to the town centre will boost footfall, improve access and visibility, and strengthen links with wider town‑centre regeneration and key cultural assets including The New Art Gallery Walsall and the emerging Creative Industries Enterprise Centre due to open later this year.

“We know some residents may have concerns about the relocation, but we want to reassure them that their museum will continue to play an important role in Walsall’s future. We are keen to hear from anyone with ideas to help shape the next chapter for the museum.

“Further community engagement will take place this summer, building on consultation already carried out and involving both local communities and the leather industry, to help co-design the future museum.”

Patrick Burns, the director of the Walsall Leather Skills Centre, said: “Walsall is rightly proud of its rich heritage in the leather and saddle-making industry, and the council’s investment in new premises for Walsall Leather Museum is very welcome. I fully support this move to what has to be a more accessible and visible resource, contributing moreover to the regeneration of the heart of Walsall.

“Its new location, right next to the Walsall Leather Skills Centre, presents a great opportunity to inspire local people and visitors alike to reconnect with Walsall’s heritage and rediscover the story of the town’s proud leather-making history. I look forward to working closely with the museum as it enters this exciting new chapter.”

Campaigners say they won’t give up on opposing the relocation plans.

“Until these issues are addressed openly and truthfully, the residents of Walsall cannot have confidence in this decision. And neither do we as a campaign group. We will not let this go until we get the answers and the issue can be debated in full,” said Boys.