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Opposition mounts to possible closure of museums
A senior Tory councillor has pledged his group’s “implacable opposition” to the “philistine proposals” to close three Bristol museums.
The secret plans, first reported by Bristol24/7, would close the Red Lodge, the Georgian House and Blaise Museum, and reduce access to Bristol Archives’ search room.
Conservative councillors have now tabled a motion ahead of the next full council meeting on January 14 registering their rejection of this idea.
is needed now More than ever
Tory group leader, Mark Weston, said: “I was alarmed to hear of these philistine proposals which, many people will recall, have been aired before over ten years ago under the then elected mayor George Ferguson in 2014.
“My group successfully rejected those moves then and wish to make it crystal clear to the current Green Party-led administration that we will resist any attempt to revive this plan.
“Aside from the destructive cultural and heritage implications from such cuts, it is far from clear how these could possibly deliver a real, tangible, saving.
“These are buildings are listed historical assets which could not be sold, and the council would still be responsible for maintaining them in good repair.
“Of course, closure would also deny us of the opportunity to explore potential revenue raising opportunities.
“Consequently, we have registered out implacable opposition to such ‘savings’ by tabling a formal resolution and questions on this pressing matter for the next meeting of the full council.”
Blaise Museum explores how people lived through time – photo: Martin Booth
In a statement after the proposals were first revealed, Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council and chair of the strategy & resources committee, said: “The forecasted gap between how much we believe we will need to spend next year and the income we predict to receive is just under £52m.
“Our task between now and the end of the financial year in March is to find a way of closing that gap and deliver a legal, balanced budget.
“At this stage proposals from all areas of the council are being considered and this includes libraries, social services, waste services, some culture services, and internal services such as IT, finance and HR.
“This process is vital to ensure that we review and scrutinise every detail and be confident our plans are financially watertight and resilient for the long term.
“We must also fully take into account the impact the budget will have on the residents of our city.
“Any decisions on balancing our finances will only be made after the proposals for achieving this have been through multiple layers of scrutiny and review.
“Many will also be subject to public consultation, which will ensure resident opinion plays a big role in shaping how these proposals are taken forward.”
The drastic proposals include a reduction in opening hours at Bristol Archives search rooms, located in B Bond warehouse – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
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