Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1. The purpose of this paper is to describe the importance of the Broadlands Archives to the county of Hampshire and to set out the reasons why Hampshire County Council and Hampshire residents would benefit from their purchase by the University of Southampton.

1.2. On 7 December the Leader of Hampshire County Council received a request from Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, for a financial contribution towards the purchase of the Broadlands Archives (Appendix 3).

1.3. The Archives are one of the University Library's foremost collections of manuscripts and one of the UK's more important family and estate archives. They contain material of the first importance for the history of the UK and its relations with its colonies and foreign powers, as well as material of great significance for the history of Hampshire. They are a resource of immense importance internationally and are also accessible to and used by Hampshire residents.

1.4. The Trustees of the Broadlands Archives have determined to sell the archive. The University is their preferred purchaser and has about 5 months to raise the required sum of £2.85 million.

1.5. A donation from Hampshire Council would demonstrate local community support for the fundraising campaign and help the University in its applications to other funders such as the National Heritage Memorial Fund. Furthermore, it would retain an important cultural asset within the county for the benefit of the community.

2. Contextual information

2.1. The Broadlands Archives have been held on deposit in the Special Collections Division of the University of Southampton Library for over 20 years. They are one of University Library's core collections of manuscripts and are central to the University's collecting policy for archives. They are closely embedded within the University's research and teaching, attracting researchers from across the world, and within the Library's programmes of activities and events.

2.2. The Trustees have indicated that if the sale to the University does not proceed they will offer the collection at auction, which would almost certainly lead to its loss and dispersal, probably outside the UK.

2.3. The Broadlands Archives are not only a collection of outstanding national and international importance, but a significant part of Hampshire's cultural heritage. At the University's Library they are open to all. Their removal from the county would be a significant loss to the community and to Hampshire's tourism economy (see Appendices 1 and 2).

3. Future partnership

3.1. The University has agreed that there is scope for developing a partnership around the Broadlands Archives - and potentially other archives in the University Library - to use the material in community outreach work.

3.2. Hampshire County Council funding would be conditional on the University working in partnership with Hampshire County Council, for example to deliver a programme of lifelong learning for the benefit of Hampshire's residents and to enable the regular display of parts of the Broadlands Archives at appropriate venues in the county.

3.3. The University would invite the County Council to nominate an archive specialist to represent the interests of the County Council on the Archives and Manuscripts Advisory Committee or such other new governing body as may be set up to oversee the future management and development of the Broadlands Archives.

4. Finance

4.1. The University is at an early stage of fundraising and is looking to a range of trusts and charitable funds in the UK and overseas, as well as to private individuals, to support this purchase.

4.2. Funding from Hampshire County Council would be subject to acceptance of a number of conditions highlighted in this report and an agreed Memorandum of Understanding between Hampshire County Council and the University. It would initially be offered as a pledge with payment on the successful completion of the purchase.

5. Recommendation(s)

5.1. That a financial contribution of £100,000 towards the University of Southampton's fund for the purchase of the Broadlands Archives be approved. The funding would be subject to acceptance of the following conditions and an agreed memorandum of understanding between Hampshire County Council and the University of Southampton.

The grant would be conditional on the University:

a) continuing to keep the Broadlands Archives in Hampshire

b) continuing to invite the County Council to nominate an archive specialist to sit as a member of the current Archives and Manuscripts Advisory Committee or such other new governing body as may be set up to oversee the future management/development of the Broadlands Archives

c) regarding HCC's Archives Service as a first partner in matters relating to interpretation and learning in connection with the Hampshire estate papers within the Broadlands Archives

d) working in collaboration with HCC's Department of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs to develop a programme to enable the regular display of parts of the Broadlands Archives at appropriate venues in the county (e.g. the Gallery at Winchester Discovery Centre, the Willis Museum, Basingstoke)

e) further collaborating on a programme of lifelong learning opportunities for the benefit of Hampshire's educational establishments and communities

f) agreeing that the grant from Hampshire County Council be acknowledged on all literature, plaques or other publicity relating to the newly-purchased Archives

g) repaying the grant to Hampshire County Council should the Broadlands Archives be disposed of by the University after purchase or relocated outside the county of Hampshire

h) accepting that this agreement is documented in a memorandum of understanding, the detail of which is to be agreed by the Director of Culture, Communities and Rural Affairs and the County Archivist, in consultation with the Leader of Hampshire County Council, to be reviewed annually

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Integral Appendix B

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

1.1. The proposals will enable greater public access to the archives.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

2.1. No impact.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

No impact

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

N/A