Agenda item

(Leisure & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-044-2011/12).

(1)        That the entering into of a five year service level agreement with Broxbourne Borough Council to manage Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon be agreed; and.

(2)        That, to accommodate the management of Lowewood Museum by the Council’s Museum Service from 1 February 2012, the proposed change in the public opening hours of the Epping Forest District Museum – as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report – be agreed.

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Wellbeing presented a report upon the Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the District Council had been approached by Broxbourne Borough Council with a proposal that the future management and operation of Museum Services provided from Lowewood Museum, Hoddesdon be undertaken by the Epping Forest Museum Service from 1 February 2012. This would coincide with the retirement of the existing members of staff at the Lowewood Museum and the approach had been based on the excellent reputation of the Epping Forest Museum for its temporary and touring exhibitions programme, collections care and education outreach service.

The Portfolio Holder added that shared service delivery across the two authorities would realise opportunities for both; enabling Broxbourne to benefit from the expertise and skills of the Council’s Museum service and providing the Council with access to wider external funding opportunities. It would also enable the Council to realise revenue savings for the period of the agreement, through allocation of a management fee of around £10,000 and shared use of resources. In addition, the proposal would provide opportunities for staff development and skills enhancement.

The Portfolio Holder stated that, in order to harmonise the opening times between the two museums and make best use of the Council’s current staff resources, it was proposed to alter the opening hours of the District Museum (as detailed in the Appendix to the report). These changes to the District Museum’s opening times had also resulted from a visitor analysis and as such it was not expected that the level of visitor satisfaction would decrease as a result. If the proposal was agreed then the Council would enter into a five-year service level agreement with Broxbourne Borough Council linked to Section 113 of the Local Government Act 1972, which would be reviewed by both parties after three years.

The Assistant Director (Community Services & Customer Relations) added that the Council would be employing additional staff for the Museum service, which would be supplemented by volunteers. The footfall to the Epping Forest Museum on a Sunday was not particularly good, mainly because there was nowhere else open on a Sunday in the locality of the Museum to attract visitors.

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Decision:

(1)        That the entering into of a five year service level agreement with Broxbourne Borough Council to manage Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon be agreed; and.

(2)        That, to accommodate the management of Lowewood Museum by the Council’s Museum Service from 1 February 2012, the proposed change in the public opening hours of the Epping Forest District Museum – as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report – be agreed.

Reasons for Decision:

The proposed shared service arrangement with Broxbourne Borough Council would enable the Council to realise a revenue saving of around £10,000 per annum for the period of the agreement, and further benefits would be realised through the increased opportunities to access external funding for projects across the two local authority areas.

The partnership would provide a range of staff development opportunities and a joint service would be able to draw on the combined collections of both museums to provide services and present a more attractive opportunity for marketing.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

Remain with the existing arrangement for Epping Forest Museum Service and not enter into a partnership with Broxbourne Borough Council to run their museum at Lowewood in Hoddesdon.