| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Proposed closure of Wandsworth Museum | |
| Posted by: | Jonathan Callaway | |
| Date/Time: | 12/03/07 22:02:00 |
| Dear Cllr Grimston I'm going to try once last time. You may have been upset by some of the comments on this thread, and used that as an excuse for not contributing any more, but in fact you are continuing to contribute when and where it suits you, so why not respond to those of us who genuinely want to find a solution to the problem of the Museum's future? And I have never said anything here which could have contributed to your outrage (though that may well change if you continue to avoid a serious debate) The WANDSWORTH MUSEUM CAMPAIGN GROUP has initiated a written and verbal dialogue with Edward Lister, as you will undoubtedly know. The contents of his last letter to us were leaked to the Wandsworth Borough News - not by us by by someone on the Council, so you can't complain about us betraying confidences. The leak looks like an attempt to head off the continuing criticisms voiced not only by us but by many other contributors to this website, by letter writers to the WBN and by signatories of the various petitions (over 12,000 now I believe). But it hasn't worked as our campaign work will continue undiminished. I still believe there are a number of unanswered questions about the financial impact of the Museum and the plans to replace it with a new town centre library. The WMCG has asked these questions privately and had no convincing answers. So I will try again and repeat the questions I posted last Friday, just to make it easier for you to reply this time: 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? As I said on Friday, there are many more questions but these are few for you to get your teeth into. I do hope you can respond this time and show us all that the Council is serious about negotiating a way forward for the Museum. We believe it fulfils an important cultural function and is worth saving. We would love to be able to start raising money to support its future running costs but it needs a home to get such an effort off the ground and it needs at least initial support from the Council which was until last year very proud of its achievements. Surely there is a basis here for discussion and compromise? Over to you! |