| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum | |
| Posted by: | Jonathan Callaway | |
| Date/Time: | 09/03/07 21:11:00 |
| Dear Cllr Grimston Welcome back to this ever-growing thread! If you are ready to respond to allegations, whether well-founded or not, perhaps you could answer a few of the following questions: 1. Why cannot more time be allowed for a longterm solution to the Museum's future to be worked out? It has been allowed for the BAC. Is the difference the degree of national attention given to the council's original plans? 2. Why cannot some core funding, or staff support in the form of expert curator(s) continue to be made available so that the integrity, unity and continuity of the collection be maintained? 3. Why cannot the Council bring itself to engage credibly with the WANDSWORTH MUSEUM CAMPAIGN GROUP, rather than propose unworkable solutions and leak them to the press in the hope that criticism is thereby deflected? 4. With visitor numbers rising rapidly (53% higher in February), no doubt in part thanks to the publicity generated by our campaign, the average cost per visit number you have been quoting surely now needs amending. Will you now compare monthly visitor levels to monthly borrowers of library books rather than gross library visits - surely a fairer comparison? The results must show the Museum to be relatively more popular than your original figures. 5. Do you have any thoughts you might like to share with us on the criticisms made by the Conservative Party's new "Arts Czar" Sir John Tusa, who said that the Museum closure would be "an error, worse than a crime"? Or indeed the trenchant criticisms made by Baroness Trumpington, the Conservative peer and former cabinet member? 6. What will happen to the 10,000 artefacts if the Museum does indeed close? Is the disused chapels plan still on the cards? And what will be done to make them safe and to establish the controlled environment in them necessary to prevent deterioration of the exhibits? Has all this been costed properly? 7. Do you actually know if English Heritage will allow you to carry out the £1.2mn of works you say are necessary to convert the Court House to library use? Have detailed plans yet been drawn up and if so is that £1.2mn estimate too low? There are many more questions but these are few for you to get your teeth into. I look forward to your reply. |