Threat to Wakefield mining museum emerges

The leaders of 11 local authorities across the Leeds City Region have written a joint letter to Chancellor George Osborne expressing grave concern that cuts he is expected to announce in his spending review on June 26 could lead to the closure of one of the North’s most prestigious museums.

Bosses at the Science Museum Group warned last week that either the National Media Museum in Bradford, the National Railway Museum in York or the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester “will shut” if it receives an expected 10 per cent funding cut in the spending review.

Yorkshire council leaders revealed yesterday they are “equally concerned” about the future of the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield, which receives funding via the same body.

“Funding for the National Coal Mining Museum is now contracted through the Science Museum Group,” the city region leaders said in a statement.

“This funding is ring-fenced until 2015, but after then it’s up to the group how much funding the museum receives. Any further cuts to the group will inevitably affect its future viability.”

The warning came as the threat to the museums was attacked in the House of Lords. West-Yorkshire based Lord Shutt suggested there was a clear Southern bias amongst the museum group’s board.

He said: “I have had a look at the names of two dozen people who are trustees of the Science Museum Group or members of the Science Museum advisory board and, would you believe it? Twenty-two of those 24 people are based either in London or Cambridge.”

To gasps in the chamber, Lord Shutt questioned how the public can “have any faith this group of people will have balance when it comes to looking at those national museums based in the regions?”

The museum group confirmed that 13 of its 15-strong board of trustees are based in the South East. Only one is based in Yorkshire – chairman Douglas Gurr, a former Asda executive who now works for Amazon, although journalist Janet-Street Porter has property in Nidderdale. But it said “advisory panels” overseeing each regional museum have considerably more Northern-based members.

Government spokesman Lord Gardiner said: “I well understand the concern that has been expressed in the North, in particular in Yorkshire and in Manchester.

“The spending review process has not been completed. I am absolutely sure Ministerial colleagues are clear about the contribution that museums make.”