Decision details

1.1  To approve the Heritage Services Business Plan

1.2  To approve, in principle, the creation of a charity to support the new Fashion Museum and Collections Study Centre Project

The Heritage Services Business plan was presented for approval. The Plan sets out the strategy to rebuild visitor numbers and financial performance on a sustainable basis, whilst maintaining the high standards of visitor experience conservation and presentation that underpin commercial success.

The Service will seek to create a new Fashion Museum following the exit from the Assembly Rooms in 2023.

As has been demonstrated with the Roman Bath’s Foundation, through the success of the fundraising for the Archway Project, establishing a fundraising development trust to support major capital projects is a proven strategy to successful fundraising.

As such, it is recommended that the Council establish a ‘Fashion Museum Foundation’, a fundraising development trust who would seek to raise funds for the new museum project.

In relation to creating an independent charity, the service considered not creating a charity but felt that this was not the preferred approach due to the restrictions this would place on the funds available to support the Fashion Museum project.