Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 3

30 May 2002

Renaissance in the Regions : a new vision for England's museums

Response by Hampshire County Council

Report of the Director, Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Stephen Locke, Ext. 6300

1. Summary

The following decision is sought:

That the proposal for the creation of a regional museum hub for the South East be approved.

2. Reasons for Recommendation

To enable the Hampshire County Museums Service to be recognised as a

lead body for the South East region

3. Other options considered and rejected

That Hampshire County Museums Service does not take a leading role in the

network of museums in the South East region

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker, or a member or

officer consulted

None

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

Not applicable

6. Reasons for matter being dealt with, if urgent

Not applicable

Approved by: (Signature) Date: (of decision)

Councillor J. Waddington

.................................. ......................

Hampshire County Council

Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee Item 4

23 May 2002

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 3

30 May 2002

Renaissance in the Regions : a new vision for England's museums

Response by Hampshire County Council

Report of the Director, Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Stephen Locke, Ext. 6300

1. Summary

1.1 This report updates the Committee of the development of proposals to strengthen museums in the regions, and the implications for Hampshire County Council.

2. Introduction

2.1 A major report, titled Renaissance in the Regions: a new vision for England's museums, was published in September 2001 by the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries (Re:source). This report is detailed and deals with many longstanding issues concerning museums in the regions.

2.2 The expression `museums in the regions' is best understood to mean all those many museums which are not funded by government. The national museums are chiefly in London. Most non-national museums are located outside London, but there are many in London as well and they form part of the report.

2.3 Museums in the regions include museums of every scale, from entirely voluntary to some which are larger than some national museums; and with different types of governing body, including local authority, charitable trusts and universities.

2.4 The report is particularly concerned with the relative decline of a number of older, larger, urban museums, which have over many years suffered a loss of resources.

2.5 The report also considers the wider scope of museums in the regions and notes their great diversity but the lack of a consistent structure and relationship, which inhibits the contribution they can make to core government objectives.

2.6 The report tries to bring together these two strands by proposing that from 1 to 4 key museums in each region should be identified and given additional support by the government in such a way as to strengthen the museum structure in the region as a whole. These key museums would work together as a `regional hub'.

2.7 This represents the crudest possible summary of a complex report and the responses to the report are as diverse as museums themselves. The general response has been at least broadly favourable, and in a number of quarters it has been warmly welcomed. The greatest concern has been expressed by those smaller museums which feel they will be excluded from any benefits which are targeted on `regional hubs'.

3. Museums in the South East

3.1 The term region in the report means the government regions, in our case the GOSE region, consisting of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Kent and the unitary authorities in that area.

3.2 It is well known that there is little if any sense of cultural and historical identify in the South East such as is commonly represented by museums, albeit there are many common issues relating to the economy, environment and community developments.

3.3 In this context, there were widespread discussions within the region and with Re:source as to how Renaissance in the Regions could be interpreted in the South East and in particular, how a `regional hub' could be conceived.

3.4 In practice, a perhaps remarkable degree of consensus was achieved within the museums of the South East, demonstrating a flexible, open-minded and trusting approach, which was matched by considerable flexibility from Re:source. This has resulted in a firm proposal for a regional hub structure for the South East.

3.5 The proposal would bring four museums or museum services together in a working relationship. The museums are:

- Hampshire County Museums Service

- Oxford University Museums

- Brighton and Hove Museums

- Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust

These four museums together will form the regional hub.

3.6 It is no accident that each of these museums is situated in the 4 sub-regions of the South East, so that together they provide a good geographical spread. The sub-regions are: Hampshire/I.O.W; Bucks/Oxon/Berks; Surrey/E&W Sussex; and Kent/Medway. A further strength of the hub is that it represents 4 kinds of museum and governing body - a county council, a unitary authority, university, and independent heritage trust.

3.7 The proposal for Hampshire County Museums Service to be a member of the hub is supported by the museums of Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester and the Isle of Wight.

3.8 Re:source requires one museum to be the lead body and accountable for hub administration and expenditure. Hampshire County Museums Service is nominated by the `shadow hub' for this role.

4. Principles which underpin the South East Museums Hub

4.1 The following principles have been adopted as an outcome of discussions throughout the region, and underpin the application to Re:source for hub status.

4.2 The SE Hub will comprise four Satellites, one for each sub region. Each Satellite will comprise one established museum authority. Each Satellite will add value to the other, achieving together an optimum balance of audience reach, organisational type and specialist strength.

4.3 The SE Hub's principle objectives will be to develop, procure, or distribute excellence both across the region as a whole and its sub regions. The hub's ability to deliver such programmes will, of course, be subject to appropriate levels of national funding being committed to the Renaissance initiative from April 2004.

4.4 The values of the SE Hub will be based on the following qualities. These include those agreed with key regional museum interests at their meeting on 18 March:

- commitment to developing excellence

- focus on collections and access

- user focus and understanding

- wider sectoral awareness

- advocacy for all

- effective representation

- coordination / facilitation (`listening') strengths

- effective administration yet non-bureaucratic

- organisational capacity

- commitment to delegate

4.5 The Hub as a whole will be required to show leadership for, and support to, the region as a whole.

The SE Hub will communicate widely with the region's key non-hub partners; other local and regional museums; and strategic agencies in developing its work. This will include the development of regional thematic networks covering the needs of collections, services, staff and audiences as set out in RIR, and in the Criteria and Guidance Notes published by Re:source.

4.6 Other significant non-hub functions that have a sub regional or regional focus may be best placed with non-hub partners, whose capacity to undertake such roles will be fostered by the SE Hub, SEMLAC (South East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council), and Re:source as appropriate.

4.7 Service Delivery will be through a range of methods tailored to need. This will include the development of strategic contractual arrangements (probably Service Level Agreements) with non-hub partners (museums or formal aggregates of museums) to develop, procure, or distribute excellence from each sub region, and across the region.

4.8 Formal and informal relationships will be forged with other non-hub organisations for the provision of advice and other support as appropriate.

5. Timetable and further action

5.1 A firm application for Regional Hub status was made by the 4 museum authorities, endorsed by their Executive Members or equivalent, on 22 April 2002. This will be the only application from the South East and it is expected to be welcomed by Re:source.

5.2 Re:source will consider the picture in the country as a whole and if the position is sufficiently positive, initiate a discussion process with the hubs to develop a coordinated action plan, as soon as possible after June 2002.

5.3 The most critical issue will be what if any additional funding is made available from the government, and this must be clarified as part of the next steps.

5.4 The first `new money' (if any is provided) will come on stream in April 2004. By that time, a proper strategic action plan must be developed by the Hub in consultation with Re:source on the one hand and museums in the regions on the other.

5.5 Some financial support may be made available to facilitate this process in the interim.

6. Conclusion

6.1 There has been a strong and positive response to the report Renaissance in the Regions by the museums in the South East region. A good consensus has been achieved and firm proposals made for the creation of a regional museum hub.

6.2 Throughout this process Hampshire, and specifically Hampshire County Council, has been very active in developing ideas and helping achieve a unified approach. Hampshire's track record in museum provision, and more particularly the development of an integrated service with wide spread and flexible partnerships, has been acknowledged and identified as an important model for the working of the hub.

6.3 The nomination of Hampshire County Museums Service as the lead body was achieved through discussion and agreement within the shadow hub, and this represents the first real decision of the hub! It also represents a further endorsement of the values and the capacity demonstrated by the Service.

Recommendation

That the proposal for the creation of a regional museum hub for the South East region, and the nomination of Hampshire County Museums Service as the lead body, be welcomed and submitted to the Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage for his consideration.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1 Published works.

2 Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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