To approve the recommendation for a reduction in opening hours of the museum service front of house delivery across the sites of  the museum in Broad Street and the Old House in High Town, Hereford.

THAT:

(a)       the opening hours for the Hereford Museum and Old House be reduced to achieve the required savings; and

(b)       authority be delegated to the Director of Economy, Communities and Corporate to determine the detailed implementation of this reduction

1      The council’s financial position is such that, to enable essential services for its most vulnerable residents to be maintained, it must reduce both the range and the level of services provided to the minimum necessary whilst meeting statutory requirements, unless there are clear reasons to do otherwise.

2      The reduced hours option will allow us to reduce costs, whilst maintaining a core level of service across both collections and front of house, to ensure that a viable and attractive service model is brought to the discussions with trusts.

3      The current restructure in the museum service will deliver a reduced level of staffing across the new structure, therefore leading to a reduction in opening hours likely to begin in February 2014.

4      Heritage tourism is worth £26.4bn to the UK economy, according to research by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).  A new report reveals that the new figure is £5.8bn higher than previously estimated in 2010.  The increase is mainly due to a 13% rise in international visits and overnight holidays made by UK residents between 2007 and 2011.  Tourism is an important local industry and the museum sites play a vital role in this.

5      In Herefordshire the analysis of the economic impact of the museum service has been assessed by applying the Economic Toolkit.  This indicates that the service generates a wider income of £5,603,493, or a spend of £8.24 into the local economy for every pound invested in the service.  For the Old House in Hereford there is a return of £41 for every pound spent on running the service in that facility.  Within the community, museums support local businesses and the visitor attractions they provide engage visitors and encourage tourism.  The museums help to make Herefordshire a vibrant place to visit, live and work. 

1      To maintain current opening hours of the Hereford Museum and Old House (Tues to Sat, plus Sun and bank holiday Mondays through the summer).  This would have greater costs associated with regard to building running costs and staffing and require commensurate savings to be found in other budgets.

2      To close fully the front of house delivery of the museum service from Hereford Museum and Old House.  This would leave only the Collections Team based at Museum Resource and Learning Centre and which would be less attractive for a trust to take on, as well as having a negative impact on the tourist offer for the city and the county.