To recommend that Herefordshire Council agrees to acquire, care for and display the Herefordshire Hoard for the people of Herefordshire.

By acquiring the Herefordshire Hoard, an important piece of local and national heritage will remain accessible to residents of and visitors to Herefordshire. Herefordshire’s tourism offer will be enhanced with this exciting treasure find, with a positive impact on the visitor economy. The Herefordshire Hoard would be a key element of the redeveloped museum which is a core project of the Stronger Towns programme.

That:

a.     Herefordshire Council agrees to acquire, care for and display the Herefordshire Hoard for the people of Herefordshire, within a budget of £1,008,890.

b.    Authority be delegated to the Corporate Director Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to take all necessary steps to progress the acquisition including submission of grant applications to appropriate bodies and acceptance of grant funding.

1.     The alternative option is that Herefordshire Council does not agree to acquire, care for and display the Herefordshire Hoard for the people of Herefordshire. The advantage of this would be no current or future financial cost to the county or Herefordshire Council for the acquisition. The disadvantages would be the loss of an important piece of national and local heritage to the county; missed opportunity of income for Herefordshire Museum Service, Hereford city and the county that would have come from residents and visitors; reputational loss for Herefordshire Council in not acquiring the Hoard, as the organisation could be seen as not valuing important heritage; a missed opportunity to increase and enhance Herefordshire’s tourist offer. Not acquiring the Hoard would have a detrimental effect on the proposed redevelopment of Hereford Museum, as it is anticipated to be a key attraction with its own gallery. This option has been rejected as an important piece of national and local heritage would be lost to the county along with its contribution to the local visitor economy and key contribution to the redeveloped museum in Hereford.