Archived decisions

Review of Hampshire County Museum Service: January 2005

1. The Executive Member has received a report on the County Museum Service, which focussed on the organisation and activities of the Museum Service, except where the interests of the Museum and Archives Services coincided. For example, by combining the premises management role across both services it has been possible to free up the present Archive Education Officer from his Hampshire Record Office building management duties and return him to a full-time education role. The Review also recommended a pilot scheme to share facilities management with the Library service in Alton and Basingstoke.

2. The main conclusion of the Review was that the Museum Service's present policy of delivery through a network of community museums was the right one, in view of the fact that Hampshire has no central "County Museum" building, and its collections are closely tied in with the natural and local history of Hampshire. However, the changing face of library provision and the opportunities offered by the Discovery Centre programme could result in the nature and location of the present museums changing in future, which is to be welcomed.

3. The main weakness identified in the present system is an imbalance of funding between fixed costs and funds available for display development and improved community programmes of activity. The Review addressed this challenge, and the uncertainty about the future of some of the present museum buildings, by proposing to free up funds by combining more than one museum under the management of a single curator, reducing overall numbers through vacancy management and re-investing the savings to create working budgets.

4. At the same time curators will be freed of premises management duties by devolving those to Senior Museum Assistants, who will be trained up to undertake the additional responsibilities under the supervision of a new post of Facilities Manager. This will give the curators the necessary time to work on new programmes of activity, and to participate in preparing a Strategic Development Plan for all the sites and museums, which will feed into the County Council Service Plan and the Hub Business Plan, which is due by the end of this year. There are no additional cost implications resulting from the Review.

5. Having taken account of the views of the Recreation and Heritage Policy Review Committee, the Executive Member has endorsed the conclusions contained in the Review and the proposed changes.