Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Clifford)

Report of Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning)

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Clifford)

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Regeneration & Planning) which provided the final independent consultants report and requested that Cabinet noted its suggestions for the future direction for the City Council’s museums service and considered some early actions to underpin successful future management and development.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

Options relating to this report are limited as all recommendations are effectively proposing the means by which earlier decisions can be implemented effectively. Recommendations in relation to the potential Collections Centre and how it might inform the wider museums review will be considered in more detail in a later report.

In terms of risk it should be noted that there are risks associated with the transfer of the service back to the council.  However, recommendations in this report are designed to mitigate these risks. 

The work undertaken to date has been informative and it is clear that the City Council’s museums have the potential for a greater impact, increased presence and profile and, at the same time, to be more sustainable in financial terms. By agreeing to take the museums service in-house the council has already made a strong commitment to repositioning the offer. 

The independent AP&P report presents a series of significant operational and financial implications and considerations which cannot be fully determined at this stage.  In the immediate short term, however, the City Council has to deliver the effective re-integration of the museums service into its establishment and this, in itself will be complex in legal, financial and management terms.

                             At this stage, Cabinet is therefore asked to agree that officers focus on the successful transfer of the Museums Service back to the City Council and recruitment of a specialist manager to play a key role in management and development of the service.  This will be undertaken alongside the development of a HLF Resilient Heritage funding bid and more detailed consideration of options for a potential new Collections Centre and identification of a preferred site.

Councillor Clifford proposed, seconded by Councillor Hanson:-

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved unanimously:

(1)          That Cabinet reviews and notes the independent consultant report “Reshaping of Lancaster District’s Museums Offer – Report of Findings and Recommendations (Aitken, Prince and Pearce)” at Appendix A to the report.

(2)          That Cabinet notes the initial focus of work over the next 6 months is the successful transfer of the museums service back to the Council and recruitment of a specialist manager to play a key role in management and development of the service.

(3)          That specialist funding support and match funding of up to £37,500 are provided to enable the development, submission and acceptance of a Resilient Heritage funding bid, from the remaining previously approved Budget Support Reserve allocation for the Museums Review, and subject to appropriate due diligence being undertaken.

(4)          That delegated authority be given to the Chief Officer (Resources) to update the General Fund Revenue Budget to reflect the additional expenditure and associated Resilient Heritage funding, if successful, subject to remaining budget neutral for the Council. 

(5)          That a preferred site option for a purpose-built Collections Centre is prepared (to inform the wider Museums Review), for consideration as part of a future report and in order to feed into the relevant annual budget process.

(6)          That a further report is provided for Cabinet towards the end of 2018 when the museums service has transferred back to the Council.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Officer (Resources)

Economic Development Manager

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision is consistent with the Council’s Corporate Priorities of Sustainable Economic Growth and Community Leadership, contributing to the attractiveness and offer of the district, as a place to visit or invest in; rationalising the Council’s property portfolio to deliver better value for money; and improving efficiency and effectiveness through re-shaping services.