Issue - meetings

Advantages

Disadvantages

Risks

Option 1:

Close all museums

Significant revenue savings

Potential capital receipts and revenue income from the existing buildings

Museums service ceases to exist

Negative impact on quality of life in the district through the loss of community, education and visitor services

Negative impact on the visitor economy

Strongly undermines Lancaster’s national status as a heritage city

Reputational damage for the Council in terms of funders, partners and the community

Transfer of part or all of the museums service into a different delivery vehicle once the service has closed down

No alternative provider currently available

Legal risk - current management agreement requires two years notice

Delivery risk - no clear solutions for the disposal of valuable collections although the Council has the responsibility to safeguard these. All options would have cost and resource requirements

Option 2:

Continue with current arrangements

(Do Nothing)

Continues to provide a museums service for the district

Ongoing revenue costs are high and likely to increase

Existing museums are underperforming in terms of footfall and income and do not therefore achieve optimum results for economic impact or improved financial sustainability

Collections management arrangements are expensive and inadequate

Current displays/ exhibitions urgently require investment to refresh and present to today’s audiences

Delivery risk - maintaining a status quo situation for management arrangements seems unlikely to be a long term option due to imminent changes within Lancashire County Council’s museums service

Financial risk - the City Council’s budgets face ongoing pressure over the next few years

Option 3:

Undertake a range of small scale changes

Some small improvements could improve footfall and income to a limited extent

Ongoing revenue costs are high and likely to increase

Very limited opportunity to increase income or gain capital receipts

Investment required to deliver small scale changes although the business case to invest in some elements of the current museums service is weak

Less likely to attract external funding

Limited potential to achieve significant benefits

Will not future proof the museums service for the long term

Without significant change the ability to increase footfall might be impeded as the overall impression could be that nothing has really changed.

Option 4:

Investigate the feasibility of complete redesign of museums service

Potential to significantly reduce ongoing revenue and repairs and maintenance costs by the reduction in the number of museum buildings

Likely to produce capital receipts or revenue income from buildings no longer required as museums

Potential increase in income from ancillary services

Improved long term arrangements for the care and management of collections  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5