ITEM CMDF2
CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE - 18 MARCH 2008
MUSEUM RESOURCE CENTRE – REALLOCATION OF CAPITAL FUNDING
Report by Director for Social & Community Services, Head of Property and Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer
Summary
1. The Capital Programme includes a sum of £500,000 in 2008/9 which is for the County’s contribution towards a major extension of the Museum Resources Centre (MRC) at Standlake. The whole project is estimated to be £3million and the balance was to have been met through an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. That application was rejected and it is now clear that HLF funds for such major capital schemes will be severely curtailed until after the Olympics.
2. This report therefore proposes the reallocation of the £500,000 to fund work which will improve the storage capacity at the MRC and fund improvement work at the Oxfordshire Museum.
3. Both projects aim to achieve the corporate objectives of value for money and make best use of existing premises; they offer choice in terms of cultural activity and provide important opportunities to stimulate learning for people of all ages. They both achieve directorate objectives of promoting participation – through better interpretation and greater interactivity, and improving access. Both projects will also contribute to improving the service’s Best Value Performance Indicator – number of visitors – by improving the visitor experience at both sites.
Museum Storage
4. Storage space at the MRC remains a critical issue. The service is planning to tackle this initially by disposing of selected items from the collections; although this will help it will not resolve the problem. In order to make best use of the existing building, it is proposed to insert mezzanine floors in order to improve dramatically the volume of space that can be used and accessed efficiently for storage purposes, and to use roller racking and specialist high level shelving to store other material. This will maximise the storage capacity of the building within the existing shell and represents best value for money. Other improvements will improve public access to the collections and greatly enhance the experience of visitors on Open Days.
5. It is estimated that the total cost of the work, including the temporary relocation of collections to allow the installation of the mezzanines and the return of the material to the improved storage, will be achieved within a budget of £373,000.
6. Currently visitors to the MRC on Open Days or for research are only able to access the stored collections on the ground floor; these improvements will include a lift and more secure storage – enabling access to all the collections. Maintenance and service costs of the lift and roller racking will be managed within existing budgets.
The Oxfordshire Museum (TOM)
7. The Asset Management Plan included the sum of £50,000 for TOM in 2009/10 for the replacement of the temporary Pratten building on the site. That need is now being addressed, at no cost to the Council, by the proposed development of the Pratten building site by the Soldiers of Oxfordshire (subject to agreement by the Cabinet).
8. The Fundamental Service Review of the museum service identified a need to continue the improvements to TOM, begun successfully with HLF funding in 1998. This is to ensure that the museum continues to attract a large number of visitors. Some of the exhibition galleries within the museum were never properly completed, and in others interactive exhibits were not possible within the constraints at that time. Further enhancement of the exhibition areas is essential to engage visitors in an inspiring and creative presentation of Oxfordshire’s history.
9. It is proposed to use the balance of the £500,000 (ie £150,000) over two years (2008/9 - 2009/10) to improve the exhibition areas throughout the museum, to introduce more interactivity for visitors, to provide more creative learning opportunities and to interpret the collections.
Additional Funding Available
10. In addition to the £500,000 identified in the Capital Programme there is £23,000 of developer funding available which is for the improvement of storage at MRC. It is proposed to use this for the MRC project.
Revenue Implications
11. The lift and roller racking at
the MRC will require service agreements; these costs will be met from within
existing budgets. There are no additional revenue costs resulting from the work
at TOM. However, it is anticipated that visitor numbers to The Oxfordshire
Museum will increase as a result of these improvements, and the planned
programme of events and activities accompanying them. The secondary spend at
the museum, on catering and retailing, is therefore likely to increase as
numbers rise thereby generating more income. Capital Prioritisation Matrix
12. In accordance with the policy for prioritising capital schemes for funding in the capital programme these projects have been scored in relation to the matrix. This is attached as Appendix A (download as .doc file).
RECOMMENDATION
13. The Cabinet Member for Finance is therefore RECOMMENDED that the £23,000 developer funding for improvements to storage at the MRC and the £500,000 identified for Cultural Services in the Capital Programme be redirected to:
(a) increase/maximise the storage capacity at the MRC (£373,000 2008/09-09/10); and
(b) continue the refurbishment of the Oxfordshire Museum (£50,000 2008/09; £100,000 2009/10).
JOHN JACKSON Director for Social & Community Services
NEIL MONAGHAN Head of Property Environment & Economy
SUE SCANE Assistant Chief Executive & Chief Finance Officer Corporate Core
Background Papers: Nil Contact Officer: Martyn Brown, County Heritage & Arts Officer Tel: (01993) 814114
March 2008
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