[Museumfriends] CMBC GMC meeting - tonight

[Barry Say]

I have returned from a meeting of the "General Management Committee" 
(GMC) of  the "Castle Morpeth Borough Council"  (CMBC) and I think I 
have optomistic tidings.

This is my first encounter with official local government, but it 
seems that the meeting was a little atypical.

It seems that the "Full Council"  delegates "routine" matters to the 
GMC, and the Chantry project seems to be within the remit of the GMC 
at the moment. The GMC is apparently a  sortov half-council for the 
really keen. The Chief Executive had decided to take upon himself the 
responsibility of compiling a report on the Chantry consultation 
exercise, and this was the first item on the agenda after the 
inscrutable introduction - those present, minutes, matters arising 
&c.&c.

The report on the consultation is dated 1 November 2004 and the 
summary of responses to 'questionnaire A', 18 November (go figure!). 
I have seen no responses to 'questionnaire B' .

The attendance at the meeting was perhaps a little distorted by the 
presence of a further 4 councillors who could only speak by 
invitation, and a Chantry delegation of 12 who sat at the back of the 
meeting merely observing proceedings, (apart from the councillor who 
was in both camps and the Society of Antiquaries - Sheila Campbell).
I arrived in the corridor outside the meeting to find Sheila 
informing the "Culture Councillor" (I can't remember his proper 
buzzwords) of the deficiencies in the report and inviting the support 
of the Chantry delegation.

When the 15 mins of council minutiae were over, the "Culture 
Councillor" spoke to the report, mentioning the points that had been 
made to him before the meeting. Then, a very, very diplomatic form of 
a "shock-and-awe" campaign took over. Councillors, one after another, 
welcomed the report but raised questions. I cannot convey the variety 
of criticisms that were levelled, but a high degree of 
dissatisfaction was conveyed.

The upshot is:

1) Attempts to dismantle the tourist information centre in the 
Chantry have been severely disabled. This may seem peripheral to 
piping, but the fear was that this was the start of a"death by a 
thousand cuts". Removing the TIC by a salami-slicing approach could 
render the rest of chantry unviable.

2) 3 feasiblity studies will be undertaken  at a total cost of no 
more than £10k:
	a) That the Town Hall and Chantry are run by a development trust.
	b) That the craft centre becomes an independent  commercial venture
	c) That  the bagpipe museum is moved to the Town Hall.

4)Steps will be taken to ensure that the bagpipe collection is 
available to disabled persons in the short term

5) the council will invite suggestions from the commercial/private 
sector for future use of the building based either upon an open brief 
restricted only by the status of the building or a more focussed 
brief addressing crafts/arts/destination tea room etc.

6) Final decisions will be taken by the full council (not GMC) in 
March 2005

7) There is also an assurance that the staff will be fully consulted 
before action is taken. This can only happen after the Council has 
taken a decision.

I believe that all the above constitutes the 'further consultation' 
that Mr. Dunbar mentioned in the press, but he has not had the grace 
to reply to my e-mail.

So, we are once again in a consultation procedure, but the really 
positive thing from our point of view is that closure of the bagpipe 
museum does not seem to be on the menu at the moment. However, we 
must continue to participate in the consultation process, to keep the 
profile of the museum high and to ensure that the council does not 
take a cheap option of moving it to inferior accomodation in the town 
hall.

Even if decisions were taken to change the bagpipe museum drastically 
I don't think anything will now happen before autumn 2005.

It would seem important, therefore, that all visitors to the museum 
over the next few months complete the visitors book with whatever 
comments they can manage, express their support to the staff, and if 
so moved, visit the offices of the local paper (up the street - 
directions available!), or write to the editor. A steady trickle 
would be useful.

There are no plans now to hold any protests or demonstrations.

Barry Say

------
List Administrator
Museumfriends at nspipes.co.uk