Councillor Charlotte Morris, the Cabinet Member for Culture and the Economy, presented the report advised that a funding application had been made to the Museum Estate and Development (MEND) fund to support the work on the gallery roof in order to preserve the building and the collections within, and sought approval for the release of funds to match-fund the cost of the required works. In response to Members’ questions it was noted that a breakdown of how many people used the building each year could be provided after the meeting, and that if the application was not successful a Council decision would be needed to fund the works.
Decision:
1. If the funding application to MEND was successful, Cabinet approved that circa £201,000 is released from the Capital Reserve to meet the cost of the required works; or
2. If the funding from MEND is not received, Cabinet agreed to recommend to Council that the costs are met from the capital budget.
Reasons for the decision:
The money in the capital reserves has already been earmarked for investment into the Arts Service. The decision to use the money from the reserves is good management of risk to the gallery as it will prevent further disrepair of the gallery roof, further deterioration of the building and further risk of damage to the Borough’s Collections.
Other options considered and rejected:
Bury Art Museum initially requested funding of £30k to carry out work to improve better access to the roof in order that some remedial repairs could be undertaken. It is currently unsafe for anyone to access the roof. Having consulted with architectural services and in view of the roof’s age, along with health and safety considerations a condition survey was commissioned to provide a view on the best way forward. The conclusion was that remedial work might help to arrest the situation in the short term but it is merely treating the symptoms and not addressing the causes.