Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Ashworth)

Report of Corporate Director (Regeneration).

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Ashworth)

(It was noted that Councillor Mace had previously declared a personal interest in this item in view of his membership of the Friends of Lancaster City Museums.)

The Corporate Director (Regeneration) submitted a report asking Members to consider savings options in respect of the Museums Service.

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

Option A: That Cabinet instruct officers to enter into formal negotiations with Lancashire County Council to review and revise the Museums Partnership agreement, with a view to the City Council securing on-going revenue reductions.

Notwithstanding the Agreement referred to above, the City Council’s Head of Cultural Services has already been involved in informal discussion with the County Council Museum Service to determine and examine potential saving options for the Museums Service in Lancaster. As previously stated, the County Council’s preliminary response has been that there are no grounds for amending or terminating the Partnership Agreement within the terms of the originally agreed timescale i.e. 10 years from 2003.

Based on the above, it is unlikely that cost savings would accrue in 2010/11 or 2011/12.

Option B: To retain the current level of Museums Services within the District, via the existing Partnership Agreement with Lancashire County Council.

There would be no financial savings to the City Council.

Option C: To issue Lancashire County Council with twenty-four months notice from 1^st April 2010, of Lancaster City Council termination of the Partnership Agreement (i.e. to be implemented after 31^st March 2012), and for officers of the City Council over the ensuing period to examine options for bringing the Museums Service back into City Council operation, whilst also examining savings options.

Based on the above, no cost savings would accrue in 2010/11 or 2011/12, but based on indicative savings options, as set out below, there may be budget reductions with effect from 2012/13.

The projected savings (for illustration), if all were implemented would be in the region of £100,000 per annum. However, it must be noted that the options require more detailed appraisal and consideration of potential consequential issues, such as fewer admission numbers (therefore, failure to achieve income levels), and HR implications (TUPE transfer, redundancy), etc. It also has to be acknowledged that within the remaining period of the Museums Service Partnership Agreement, would require a negotiated agreement between the City and County Council on any or all of the above.

It may also be that there are other more radical options, including rationalising the number of museum buildings that the City Council operate/offer. Such options would also be considered further within the period of termination of the Partnership Agreement (i.e., 2010/11 and 2011/12).

Depending on Cabinet’s view on the type of options put forward it is likely that the City Council would need to engage specialist advisors, in particular where there are ramifications in terms of Disposal and Curatorial issues, etc.

Option C is the preferred officer option in that it both retains service provision whilst also offering potential savings.

It was moved by Councillor Ashworth and seconded by Councillor Kerr:-

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

Members then voted:-

Resolved:

(8 Members (Councillors Archer, Ashworth, Barry, Blamire, Byrning, Fletcher, Kerr and Langhorn) voted in favour and 2 Members (Councillors Mace and Thomas) voted against.)

(1)               That Lancashire County Council be issued with 24 months notice to terminate the Museums Partnership Agreement from 1^st April 2010 (i.e. to be implemented after 31 March 2012), and that officers of the City Council, over the ensuing period, examine options of future service provision, whilst examining cost savings.

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Regeneration)

Head of Cultural Services

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision will allow service provision to be retained, whilst also offering potential savings.