| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum | |
| Posted by: | Lucille Grant | |
| Date/Time: | 11/01/07 17:10:00 |
| 'Obviously at the time of last May's election we did not know that the government was going to chop our grant by £5 million' Rather disingenuous, I think. The current government has consistently 'rewarded' Wandsworth's good practices (to date)by chopping their grants - you've been in charge long enough to have anticipated it so please don't try and make us believe otherwise. 'If this is indeed an enormously unpopular proposal then we will not be re-elected next time round' The next election does not take place for another three years - which gives plenty of time for people to forget that you closed the Museum. Meanwhile WBC will no longer be viewed as one of the best Boroughs to support the Arts and will also be diluting its educational facility in favour of leisure centres! Hey guys, do you want your gym or your Musuem - it should not be a question of either/or. 'After listening to all views, we must act in what we see as the best interests of the community at large.' But you're NOT listening - you are not consulting, so how can you be listening? You seem to conveniently forget that the majority of exhibits and objects kept by the Museum have been donated by members of the community, many of whom live in Putney as that was where the Museum originated. Therefore NOT to consult is unacceptable. You ask us, your constituents, to come up with cost saving ideas but do not respond when asked why the council considers new initiatives when it can't afford to support existing ones. You also ignore my question about West Hill Library (also Allfarthing is a Wandsworth library) Are you seriously suggesting that Wandsworth needs three libraries? No, I'm sure you're not. A final word on consultation - it isn't difficult - just ask us: a) Do you want to keep Wandsworth Museum as it stands and if so are you prepared either to pay more tax (you haven't told us how many pence per month it would cost each one of us) and/or to part fund it through a Friends system b) to disperse the artefacts among each of the borough libraries (and provide necessary members of staff)which would dilute the whole historical and educational effort but be better than nothing at all. |