Issue - meetings

The report introduces the Heritage Services business plan update (‘the Plan’) for the five-year period 2021/22 to 2025/26. It sets out the business unit’s early strategy for stabilising following the effects of the Covid pandemic and rebuilding visitor numbers and financial performance on a sustainable basis, whilst maintaining the high standards of visitor experience, conservation and presentation that are the bedrock of commercial success.

Councillor Richard Samuel introduced the report by saying that it was a very difficult year for Heritage Services. Tourism has largely collapsed in many parts of the country and has affected almost every Council.  Some of the Heritage Services staff members had to be furloughed for some time, whilst others had been redeployed in helping with food parcels and at the vaccination site at the Pavilion.  In so many ways the health of the Council’s finances are impacted  by the Heritage Services; Roman Baths had over 1 million visitors before the pandemic and other sites, like Victoria Art Gallery, had also contributed to the Council’s finances.  This report is about looking forward and how the Heritage Services could return to a normal level of operation.  The plan details the whole concept of proper business planning, looking ahead at the investment and numbers of visitors to Council’s sites.

In terms of the Fashion Museum – the National Trust was always likely to exercise its option to break the lease that the Council held for the Assembly Rooms.  Therefore, a new site for the Fashion Museum would need to be acquired by March 2023.  Councillor Samuel expressed his hope that a tangible proposal for a new site for the Fashion Museum would be an improvement in comparison to the current location.

Councillor Richard Samuel moved the recommendations.

Councillor Dine Romero seconded the motion by saying that Heritage Services, in normal times, have been the bedrock of the Council’s finances.  Heritage Services provided the lifeblood for the services this Council provides, especially for the most vulnerable in our community.  Due to lockdown, the sudden loss of visitors has hit the area’s economy hard during the last 15 months.  Councillor Romero also said that she would be looking forward to a new location for the Fashion Museum within the city, and that she would be working closely with Councillor Samuel on this matter.

The rest of the Cabinet recognised the difficult 15 months that Heritage Services endured during the pandemic and lockdown, the importance of the location for the new venue for Fashion Museum, and the aim of the proposed Heritage Services Business Plan.

RESOLVED (unanimously) that the Cabinet agreed to:

1)Approve the Heritage Services Business Plan 2021-2026;

2)Confirm that it wishes Heritage Services to continue to work to the business principles agreed by the Council Executive in 2004, as amended;

3)Confirm that it wishes to relocate the Fashion Museum with a supporting Collections Centre subject to a satisfactory business case being prepared.