Twelve months on: the campaign so far…

Following his resignation, members of the Friends present John Goldsmith, Curator of the Cromwell Museum between 1985 and 2014, with two Commonwealth coins.

Following his resignation, members of the Friends present John Goldsmith, Curator of the Cromwell Museum between 1985 and 2014, with two Commonwealth coins.

Since January 2014, the Friends of the Cromwell Museum have led the campaign to keep the Cromwell Museum open, following Cambridgeshire County Council’s announced intention to withdraw funding as from April 2015.

The campaign has attracted local, national, and international interest.  Just six weeks in, there was enough local support, through a 4000-strong petition, for the issue to be raised at a significant County Council meeting in February 2014. The petition asked for the County Council to continue funding the Museum until a viable alternative model had been put in place.

Subsequent to this meeting, the County Council deferred its funding withdrawal – but only for one year.  A Consultant’s report recommended setting up an independent Trust and Huntingdon Town Council expressed interest in taking the building over from the County Council.  Members of the Friends have addressed many Committee and sub-Committee meetings during the year.

Questions still to be answered

A viable future for the Museum is far from assured. Two key posts – a ‘Project Officer’, to help the transition from County Council ownership to a new Trust, and a Chair of Trustees – are still to be filled. Huntingdon Town Council are in ongoing discussions with the County Council about the terms of any transfer and the costs of any required refurbishment of the building which, according to a survey, may be of the order of fifty thousand pounds.

Despite assurances from Cambridgeshire County Council staff, the Friends have seen little to allay their ongoing concerns that the Museum will have made a successful transition to a new Trust by the time the money runs out in April 2016.

In a presentation to Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways and Community Infrastructure sub-committee in December 2014, the Friends reiterated the strength of local feeling about the Museum’s future, stating that “the four thousand or so of your citizens who signed a petition expect the County Council to have a duty of care to the treasure that is the Cromwell Museum and its assets and to nurture the new Trust and support its viability.”  The Friends argued that the Council may well end up meeting its resource savings, but could cast adrift a barely set-up Trust, which was poorly supported, staffed and funded, and with no chances of survival.  Huntingdon, the County, and Cromwell deserve better than that.

Museum’s long-serving Curator departs

The Friends have welcomed the supportive interest shown by Huntingdon’s local MP, Mr Jonathan Djanogly, throughout the campaign.  Sadly, they also lost a tireless servant of the Museum when John Goldsmith, the Museum’s Curator since 1985, resigned late last year, citing concerns over the level of support the Council was offering the Museum in its move to a trust.

Bob Pugh, who represents the Friends of the Museum on the Council’s Museum Management Committee, said:

“John has served the Museum, the county and community with distinction, and made an amazing contribution to safeguarding the memory of Cromwell and all the excellent attributes that he stood for.   It will not only be the Cromwell Museum but a much wider national and international community who will be the worse for John’s departure, for reasons that the Friends all understand and share.”

Before the Cromwell Annual Lecture in Huntingdon last November, as a token of their gratitude, the Friends presented John with two silver coins of the period – a Charles 1st half groat and a Commonwealth penny.

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October update – plus an invitation to ‘A Cromwellian Entertainment’

Gareth Calway's head of Cromwell

Gareth Calway’s head of Cromwell

Progress is now being made towards moving the Cromwell Museum to a trust.

Following discussion at the Museum’s committee, the County Council will be recommended that the new trust is established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.  Officers are undertaking the preparatory work, identifying the skills which new trustees will need, as well as how they will be recruited and selected.

The Friends of the Cromwell Museum believe that it is a huge challenge for the trust to be made operational and effective by April 2016.  We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Please help show your support for the Cromwell Museum in a practical and enjoyable way by coming along to ‘A Cromwellian Entertainment’, organised by the Friends of the Museum.  The event will take place at All Saints Church, Huntingdon (adjacent to the Museum) on Friday 24 October, from 7.30pm.  The fascinating story of what happened to Cromwell’s head will be told by poet, playwright and performer Gareth Calway in his acclaimed  ‘Cromwell’s Talking Head‘, a one-man show, complete with giant puppet.  The evening’s music will be provided by the period music group Spirits of the Air.

Tickets are on sale now from the Museum at £8.  To reserve a ticket, email cromwellmuseum@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or call 01480 375830.

Transfer to a trust agreed

Cambridgeshire County Council is moving forwards with its plans to transfer the Cromwell Museum to an independent charitable trust. The relevant committee agreed on the 15th July to;

a) the creation of an independent charitable Trust to take over the running of the museum;

b) leasing the museum building to the new Trust for 25 years on an internal repairing lease at less than best consideration, subject to approval by General Purposes Committee;

c) leasing museum storage and office facilities in Huntingdon Library and Archives to the new Trust for 5 years at less than best consideration, subject to approval by General Purposes Committee;

d) the Council bearing the cost of any staff redundancies arising as a result of the transfer of undertakings;

e) using the Cromwell Museum Art Fund to help fund the establishment of the new Trust;

f) the Council retaining ownership of its assets within the museum collections.

Despite a submission from the Friends of the Museum there was little debate of significance and no proper discussion of the resources required.

On the 24th July the Museum Management Committee, where the Friends are directly represented, met to receive an update on the decision and the process. What was made very clear was that the Council will not commit any resource, other than the meagre amount left in the Museum’s reserve budget, towards assisting a successful transfer to a trust.

The Friends are seriously concerned that the sum available will be further depleted as the authority draws on that money to meet its own costs in setting up the trust.

The recommendation of the independent consultant’s report that the Council should provide £20,000 of tapering funding over the first three years of the trust’s existence will, as a consequence, be jeopardised.

The Friends are not opposed to devolution to a trust but believe that if it is to be achieved successfully sufficient resources must be made available in the short term. The lobby to ensure more appropriate funding will continue in the hope that the folly of trying to set up a trust with very little support will be recognised.

Link

The future governance of the Cromwell Museum is to be discussed by Cambridgeshire County Council on Tuesday 15th July. The papers are on the council’s web site, see http://www2.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/CommitteeMinutes/Committees/AgendaItem.aspx?agendaItemID=10025

The apparent reasonableness of the recommendations, in progressing the recommendations of the external consultant, masks some serious issues.

The report proposes that additional tapering funding, equivalent to the remaining balance in the Museum’s Art Fund, is the only extra funding to be made available to support the transfer of the Museum from the county to a new independent trust. The sum available is less than £16,000, the Fund having been raided to the tune of £50,000 earlier in the year, to support other parts of the council’s services.

The Save the Cromwell Museum campaign is seriously concerned that if a transfer is to be successful then funding at least at the current level is needed for a minimum of five years. Nearly 4,000 Cambridgeshire residents agreed with that view when they signed the petition to support the museum in January and February.

The meeting of the Highways and Community Infrastructure Committee will be the first time that elected members will have had the opportunity to properly consider the Museum’s future. Although it is not on the table perhaps they should be asking the fundamental question of whether devolution to a trust is the right answer. If it is the right answer then more resources are needed to give the new trust a reasonable chance of success.

If you are concerned about the future of the Museum please email the committee chairman, and your local county councillor if you live in Cambridgeshire, and make your views known. The chairman can be contacted at roger.hickford@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Important meeting coming up

Cambridgeshire County Council reverted to a committee system of government in May this year. The new Highways and Community Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to discuss the future of the Cromwell Museum at their next meeting, to be held on Tuesday July 15th.

The papers for the committee should be published on the County Council website seven days before the meeting.

The Save the Cromwell Museum Campaign will post a response to the proposals on Thursday July 10th and, if appropriate, advise and encourage supporters of how to make their views known.

Report on the future of the Museum published

Consultant’s report published

The consultant’s report on the future of the Cromwell Museum was published by Cambridgeshire County Council on 25th April. The full text of the report and the Friend’s response can be seen at  http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/info/20011/archives_archaeology_and_museums/24/cromwell_museum

The report has established that despite the significance of the Museum to the local economy, the cultural life of the area and beyond, and its wider educational value, no interest was received from other local authorities to take on full or partial responsibility for it. As it stands the County Council’s funding ends on 31st March 2016.

The key option identified by the report is that an independent trust be created to run the Museum in its current building. A second option of re-locating to another building in Huntingdon is floated, with a third and default option that if neither of these proves viable then the collections should be transferred to the new National Civil War centre in Newark.

The report recommends that to make the trust succeed additional funding is needed from the County Council. Running costs would also have to be reduced by the use of volunteers,  and the employment of a curator on less hours, and worse terms and conditions,  than at present.

The report will be discussed by County Councillors in July and the direction of the Museum decided. Although the County Council has not expressly asked for comments on the report the Save the Cromwell Museum campaign strongly urges all supporters of the Museum to make your views known. Further information on the best means to achieve this will be posted shortly when membership of the new committee to take the decision is known.

The future of the Museum is still far from secure. Please help to maintain the pressure to keep this Museum alive.

The full text of the Friends response can be read here.

 

Response from the Friends of the Cromwell Museum.

Background:

The Friends of the Cromwell Museum is a relatively new Charity in its first full year of activity and has, at present, around 30 members paying £15 (individual) or £25 (family) annual membership .

 

Its purpose is to support the work of the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon in promoting knowledge of, and the education of the general public in, the life and legacy of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658).

 

To deliver its purpose the charity aims are:

1                          To promote and publicise the Cromwell Museum within the local and wider community

2                          To provide a forum for social and cultural activities for users of the Museum

3                          To foster understanding of how the Museum is run and funded

4                          To provide a channel for feedback from users of the Museum

5                          To provide potential members for the County Council Cromwell Museum Management/Advisory Committee

Response

The Trustees of the Friends of the Cromwell Museum have considered the Consultant’s Report “Cromwell Museum – Devolution of Governance Review” and, notwithstanding that any progress is heavily reliant on discussions and decisions still to be held within Cambridgeshire County Council, broadly support the recommendations centred on retaining the Museum in its current location under the care of an Independent Trust.

We also note the (draft) Minutes of the Cromwell Museum Management Committee (CMMC) Meeting of 3rd April 2014 that considered the Report.

There are some key concerns and issues that we believe need addressing in order to progress the recommendations.

Some of these could be addressed as the Draft Report moves to being an ‘agreed’ one and others that may be more in the remit of the County Council and emerging Trust subsequently.

Current location and support services

Accepting that (Recommendation 2 on p15 of the 29-page version of the Report) the County Council remains responsible for the fabric, the ‘equipment’ – especially that pertaining to maintaining the Museum environment – should be assessed as being fit for purpose for at least 5 years before being taken on by the Trust.

We consider that the energy costs of the current building (Recommendation 3) could inform a discussion on any future alternate location but overall funding would probably be more of a concern.

We welcome that storage of collection items not on display should remain within the Huntingdon Library and Archive (Recommendation 4) but believe that curatorial accommodation should also be provided therin.

Alternate locations

The CMMC were very supportive in the main aim of keeping the Museum/collection in Huntingdon.

It remains to be seen if this is viable and, should it not prove so to be, then serious consideration needs to be given to the best options for keeping this unique collection together rather than it being fragmented.

Any move will necessarily include discussions with those who currently loan the Museum a significant proportion of its collection and will increase the current level of risk that such loans could cease.

We share concerns expressed at the CMMC that any conversions to Court 2 within the Town Hall to meet the environmental and display requirements for the collection would, even if possible given the historic nature of the Court itself, require considerable extra expense and may also impact unfavourably on visitor numbers.

Curatorial Post

We, reluctantly, accept that a junior curatorial post (Recommendation 5) will make the new Trust more financially viable to start with but that this has its own effects on the future viability of the Museum – predominantly the roles of ‘volunteers’.

Volunteer support

It may well be so, according to the views of the Huntingdon Volunteer Centre, that “museums are attractive to volunteers” (p22) but this has yet be proved to be true for this Museum especially as a move to a part-time Curator will place considerable extra reliance on volunteers not just as ‘attendees’ but formal keyholders . This aspect, rightly, is listed under ‘Cons’ for Option 1 and, to our view, provides significant risk to the future of the Museum equal to if not more so than its funding.

Some Friends members have also raised that there may be employment rules and regulations pertaining to training, management, and administration of volunteers with added health and safety and indemnity issues.

Funding

We were told that the withdrawal of some £30 000 from the ‘Acquisition Fund’ had previously been reported to the CMMC prior to the Friends having a seat there. You will understand that this would have been challenged by us, had we had the opportunity, and we would seek its reinstatement.

The current Fund appears to be being ‘raided’ (Recommendation 6) to support the establishment of the Trust and to employ the new Curator. Even if this were allowable – and which was queried at the CMMC – this would add considerable burdens on the emerging Trust to initiate its own Fund as well as cover its running costs.

This would particularly be so given, in the current uncertainty, that groups who loan items to the collection may have concerns about the Museum’s future viability and second thoughts about those loans. If items were to be withdrawn in the short-term then it would be impossible to compete for them in the commercial market without a measure of available ‘seed-corn’ for such a major appeal.

We would urge that the Fund is ring-fenced for its proper purpose and that the start-up funds for the new Trust are borne by the County Council.

We also believe that there is a risk in expecting additional match funding (to establish the new Trust) and other funding (for running costs, continuing employment of the Curator, finding and training volunteers, and acquiring new material) to be achieved in the suggested timescale of tapering from the County Council.

We understand why the report suggests (p 18) that “any new governing body should re-consider whether income from admission charges and supporting schools should be part of the income mix” but would be reluctant to see anything introduced that could even approach the ‘assumed’ – and, presumably, thought acceptable – 50% reduction in visitor numbers.

Timescale

As well as concerns with the timescale as regards funding (above) the Friends also see the overall timescale – especially towards the setting up of the new Trust – as being ‘optimistic’ given some of the other issues raised above. Even without setting up a new, viable, Trust with trained Trustees, new Curator, volunteers and funding streams we note that one key milestone is the retention of accreditation which has to be achieved by October 2014.

We believe that too much is going on with too little time, and relying on too many – as yet unknown – outcomes to get all done properly. Although much can be being prepared for we are not convinced that all can be delivered and would urge some sensible flexibility in the timescale so that, in the short-term, the County Council and any emerging Trust do not have their eye taken off the first priority of maintaining accreditation.

Role of the Friends

The Report is absolutely right that the “Friends of the Cromwell Museum is a relatively new organisation and needs to grow its membership before it can realistically start to financially support the Cromwell Museum” (p18). This very much limits our current ability to give support (“particularly with fundraising” – p4) and any agreement on a “split of fundraising activities” (p19).

Nor can the Friends be seen as an automatic source of volunteers. Many of our 30 or so members are not ‘local’ – though there may be a few who are local enough and with the willingness and availability to become volunteers.

It’s also right that we are “very committed to supporting an independent Cromwell Museum” (p 18) but this latter view is only because we were faced with the fact that the County Council has made its decision to, eventually, cease its funding. It must be remembered that the ‘Save the Cromwell Museum’ campaign, steered by the Friends, led to nearly 4000 signatures calling on the County Council to reverse this decision and provide funding for at least five years. Their deferral by a year was welcome as being preferable to their original proposal to withdraw funding at the end of March 2015 but not the full outcome sought.

Save the Cromwell Museum: a campaign update

After the whirl of activity that led to the presentation of the petition to Cambridgeshire County Council, the campaign has been on hold.  Here is an update to let you know how things stand at present – and what the next steps are.

As you will be aware, the fact that the petition reached nearly 4,000 signatures meant that the sought after debate at the full meeting of the Council was achieved.

This meeting took place on the 18 February.  The spokesperson for the Friends, Bob Pugh, was invited to speak, to represent the case against the proposed budgetary cut in 2015/16 that would inevitably have led to the closure of the Museum.

In a very effective, short speech, Bob stressed to Councillors the historical importance of the Museum and its collection, as well as the benefits it brings to Huntingdon and the wider local economy.

The issue was then debated. The chairman of the Museum’s management committee, Peter Downes, declared that it would be unthinkable for the Museum to close and argued for more time for solutions to be sought. In response, the Cabinet member with responsibility for the Museum, David Harty, acknowledged the weight of opinion against the proposed funding cut.

In the subsequent budget debate, an amendment that funding be extended for a further twelve months until 2016-17 was proposed and carried by 57 votes to 4.

Forcing the debate and making the Council reconsider its decision represents a huge achievement by the campaign.  We would like to thank all of you again for your support.     However, the Museum’s future is still far from certain.

A consultant, paid for by an external grant, is currently reviewing options for alternative governance (i.e. seeking another body to run the Museum other than the Council).  The consultant will report in April. It is undoubtedly going to be extremely challenging to find a viable solution for sustainable funding, but the additional year will make a huge difference in trying to secure the Museum’s future.

We will let you all know what the consultant has proposed, and how things progress from there, as soon as possible.

 

 

Finale to amazing week: Civil War artillery to roll through Huntingdon tomorrow!

This has been an extraordinary week in the campaign to Save the Cromwell Museum: on Monday, the Friends of the Museum handed over the Council petition to the Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, Martin Curtis and the Cabinet member with responsibility for the relevant area of service, Councillor David Harty.

The petition – with almost 4,000 signatures from people living or working in Cambridgeshire – is the first since the Council established its petitions facility to successfully lead to a debate at full Council.  This is scheduled to take place next Tuesday, 18 February.

You can watch the petition handover, an interview with Bob Pugh, spokesperson for the Friends and footage shot in the Museum itself here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-26138632

The first objective of the campaign, to achieve the debate at full Council over the budget proposals, has been met in resounding fashion.  Cambridgeshire County Council is aware of the strength of support for the Museum both within and beyond the County, thanks to the Council petition and the online SurveyMonkey petition which has been signed by people not just from around the UK but from around the world.  Thank you all for your support.

This Saturday, the Museum will be running an event, as part of the programme of activities the Museum organises throughout the year.  The Sealed Knot reenactment charity are sending Lord Robartes’ Regiment of the Army of Parliament, who will bring a cannon to the Museum and pull it through the town, demonstrating how artillery pieces were used during the English Civil Wars.  This event is free and open to all.

The fun will start at 10:30am so if you are in the area, please come and say hello!

Information about this event and the full programme of activities for 2014 are accessible on the County Council’s website here:
http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/leisure/museums/cromwell/exhibitions.htm

 

 

 

 

The campaign to Save the Cromwell Museum reaches today’s Times

Today The Times newspaper has published a short article about the campaign along with a letter signed by 33 academics who are opposed to the Museum’s closure.

The article appears on page 18 (click the image to enlarge, then hit back on your browser to return to this post):

Times_article

The letter appears on page 29 (click the image to enlarge, then hit back on your browser to return to this post):

Times_letter

We’re delighted with this significant national coverage and would like to thank those who both organised and signed the letter published today.

ITV Anglia News covers campaign ahead of signature collection today

Last night’s ITV Anglia News broadcast an excellent package on the threat to the Cromwell Museum and interviewed Bob Pugh of the Friends of the Museum. You can watch it here:
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2014-01-24/cromwell-museum-is-threatened-with-closure/

Filming took place on Friday ahead of today’s signature collection in Huntingdon town centre.  Many of those who signed the petition said that they were aware of the proposed closure of the Museum due to coverage received in local newspapers and regional television.

Huntingdon was busy with shoppers today and the full count could again run into hundreds gathered in just a few hours.  We will update you in the coming days on the total number of signatures received to the Cambridgeshire County Council petition, collating the online and paper copies – we have until 5 February to reach the target of 3,000 which will force a full debate of Council on the proposed closure of the Museum.  Please encourage anyone you know who supports the campaign but who may not have signed the petition to do so as soon possible.

If you live/own a business/work/attend a school or college in Cambridgeshire….
…then please sign the Cambridgeshire County Council ePetition against the proposed closure of the Cromwell Museum here:
http://epetition.cambridgeshire.public-i.tv/epetition_core/community/petition/2545
and the SurveyMonkey petition here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CromwellMuseum

If you do not live/own a business/work/attend a school or college in Cambridgeshire but do want to express your concern about the proposed closure of the Museum…
…please add your name here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CromwellMuseum