A Senedd Member has criticised Cardiff Council as it considers the future of two of the city's cultural venues. The authority announced in October that it had been approached by Academy Music Group (AMG) with an offer to take on the operation of St David's Hall and it revealed this month that it will consider the future of the Museum of Cardiff.
As part of its budget consultation, the council will ask residents for their thoughts on the possibility of moving the museum out of its historic home at the Old Library on the Hayes and making it a mobile attraction. Speaking in response to the proposals, South Wales Central MS Heledd Fychan said: "Culture isn’t something nice to have when times are good. Culture is an integral part of our identity and should be available to all to access and enjoy.
“Both St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff are jewels in our capital city’s crown, and not only serve the local population but are also an important part of our offer to visitors and tourists. When such proposals were put forward by the council in 2016, there was public outcry and both organisations were saved.
Read more: 'My grandad's hat is on display in the Museum of Cardiff and I'm shocked and upset at what they might do with it'
"Seeing these plans now revisited makes me question why more hasn’t been done by Cardiff Council in subsequent years to safeguard Cardiff’s cultural offer for future generations." Thanks to a better than expected 9% increase in funding from the Welsh Government, Cardiff Council's budget gap has reduced from £53m to £23.5m. However, the council's cabinet member for finance, modernisation and performance, Cllr Chris Weaver, cautioned that this is still a "big gap to balance".
Cardiff Council said moving the Museum of Cardiff out of the grade-II listed Old Library and turning it into a mobile museum would save it £266,000 a year. Ms Fychan added: "The Museum of Cardiff has won multiple awards, including winning the Visit Wales Gold Award for delivering a memorable visitor experience earlier this year. This is despite Cardiff Council minimising the space available to the museum by placing other ventures in the building, therefore limiting its income generation activities.
"Moving the whole museum to a mobile offering is a closure, and to call it anything other than that is hugely misleading. I urge Cardiff Council to urgently reconsider these proposals, and instead look at alternative ways to retain both St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff in public ownership. Once they are lost, they will be lost forever, and we should be doing everything possible to secure their future as part of our offering to both the residents and visitors of Cardiff."
Cardiff Council's cabinet met yesterday (Thursday, December 22) to approve the launch of the budget consultation today. The consultation will run until January 29. Leader of the Conservatives group at Cardiff Council, Cllr Adrian Robson, said he was "very pleased" to see the 9% increase in funding from the Welsh Government, but noted that adding the Museum of Cardiff proposal to the consultation "hasn't been scrutinised".
He said: "The only version we have seen is what is on the cabinet report today. It does concern me. I hope that the proposal to move it to a mobile museum will be looked at again." The leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas drew the opposition leader's attention to the fact that members of the public are also being asked about continuing the museum "in its current location and finding savings elsewhere".
The council said savings made through turning the museum into a mobile attraction could allow it to be re-opened at a permanent location in the future. Cllr Thomas added: "I look forward to finding out what the Conservatives proposals are and how the savings could be found elsewhere." Cllr Weaver said: "Just as every household budget across Wales has been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis so too has every service the council provides.
"It means that everything we do, every service we offer now costs significantly more to deliver. There's no doubt the better-than-expected 9% increase in funding from Welsh Government is good news. A few days ago, we were looking at a £53m hole in our budget, but thanks to Welsh Government making more money available this has now reduced to £23.5m.
"But this is still a huge amount of money to find, especially after cutting around a quarter of a billion from our budget over the past 10 years. I want residents to know that we have already been making significant efficiency savings throughout the year to prepare for the financial storm we saw coming towards us, and next year we plan to make at least another £8.5m in efficiency savings.
"The 9% budget increase received from Welsh Government means that we will be able to better protect important services like social care and school budgets. We are looking at increasing school budgets by £25m next year, a 9.2% rise, and we will do everything we can to protect social services and the most vulnerable in our communities.
It also means that many of the harder-to-face options we were having to consider are off the table for now, but we know there are still tough choices to be made, which is why it's so important residents take part in this consultation and tell us what really matters to them. Taken together, the council is facing soaring demand pressures and spiralling costs resulting in a budget challenge as great as anything faced over the past 10 years."
READ NEXT:
Council confirms that work started on Penarth Methodist church project before permission was granted
Plans revealed to turn former Blockbuster store in Penarth into restaurant and bar
Police station in Vale of Glamorgan dating back to 1850s set to become apartments
Cardiff residents to be asked if school meals and parking should be more expensive in city
What is happening where you live? Find out by adding your postcode or visit InYourArea
