The Future of the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
We are writing on behalf of the Wirral History and Heritage Association to draw your attention to the current proposal to make substantial cuts to the budget of the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
When Cabinet met on 10 December 2013 it proposed a cut in funding to the Williamson of £250,000 for 2014/2015 with a further reduction of £150,000 for 2015-2017. This proposal went before full Council on 16 December.
The current annual budget of the Williamson and the Priory is in the region of £600,000 so a cut of £400,000 would leave just £200,000. Taking into account all the necessary outgoings, these cuts are of such a magnitude that they would force the closure of the museum and gallery at the end of March 2014.
We appreciate the huge budgetary challenges faced by the council and its need to concentrate spending on front-line services and on protecting the vulnerable, nevertheless it seems unthinkable to force the closure of the Williamson at the very point at which it was ready to develop its resources, alter its method of delivery and provide an enhanced visitor experience.
The council has just invested £1.3 million in the Williamson building, which now has state of the art facilities, a café and a shop and is fully accessible and DDA compliant. Following this major refurbishment the Williamson now has capacity to develop further as the key cultural resource for the Wirral making a significant contribution to its social and economic life and to the education, health and well-being of its residents.
It is worth noting that since the closure of the Wirral Museum in Birkenhead Town Hall, the Williamson is the only art gallery and museum devoted to the whole of Wirral and is the prime repository of its unique heritage. The collections have largely been deposited by local people in the expectation that they would be cared for, preserved and displayed to future generations and it would be wrong to betray that trust.
Wirral has always been proud of its heritage. Only very recently English Heritage cited Wirral as an example of best practice in the way it delivers heritage activity and plans were already afoot at the Williamson to develop a local history gallery which would tell the story of Wirral and its diverse communities, in a local, regional, national and international context.
Further proof of the importance of Wirral’s heritage comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund which has just awarded £393,100 to support the development of the Priory. This grant comes after £735,000 has been spent on a programme of improvement at the Priory, which has included making the site accessible and making the stonework of St Mary’s Tower safe.
Though there is a clear necessity to reduce costs and generate more income, the level of savings required do not seem achievable in the next financial year nor is it likely that a viable model will emerge in that time scale to run the service differently. The requirement to cut back should be deferred to allow time for a new model to emerge. To this end we are heartened, that following two meetings hosted by Frank Field MP, a small group of individuals has emerged to look at the future of the Williamson and to work with both Council officers and elected members to produce an action plan.
The group now called the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum Action Group includes:
- Professor Robert Lee (Chair of Friends of Birkenhead Park and former Professor of Economic and Social History, University of Liverpool and awarded an MBE in the recent New Year’s Honours List),
- Rhiannon Evans (former Pro Vice-Chancellor of Edge Hill University; Chair of the Oxton Society),
- Alan Chape (former Deputy CEO, Liverpool City Council; an Oxton Artist and on the committee of the Oxton Society) ,
- Lawrence Holden (former Senior Partner Brabners and former Pro-Chancellor the University of Liverpool, co-opted onto Friends of Williamson Committee, Trustee of The Reader Organisation)
- Julian Treuherz (former Keeper of Art Galleries for National Museums Liverpool, responsible for Walker Art Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House)
- Rev. Greg Epton (Lead Pastor of the Wirral Christian Centre Church and Director of the Wirral Christian Centre Trust)
- Robert Fisher (a director of the Wirral Christian Centre Trust)
- Joe McGillivray, (Director Arts, Creative and Digital Media, Wirral Metropolitan College)
- Sharon Granville (Executive Director of Collections & Estate, has joined the Action Group as a representative of National Museums Liverpool) and
- Colin Simpson (Principal Museums Officer, Wirral Museums Service and secretary of the Friends of the Williamson)
There are several things that you could do:
Write to your local Councillor. It is vital that councillors throughout Wirral are aware that this is an issue that affects everyone.
Visit the Williamson. Patronise its new café and shop. Use the interactive screen by the front door to complete a questionnaire and offer your ideas for the future.
Join the Friends of the Williamson. Membership forms are available on the desk in the foyer.
Attend an Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends to be held at the Gallery on Tuesday, January 21st at 10.30am with David Ball, Head of Regeneration for Wirral Council and Colin Simpson, Principal Museums Officer, Williamson Art Gallery. (It will be possible to join the Friends prior to the meeting)
Follow the Friends on http://www.friendswilliamson.blogspot.co.uk/ or communicate with the Friends via FriendsWilliamson@gmail.com.
Please show your support for the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum. It is far too important an asset to lose.
The Committee, Wirral History and Heritage Association