Express & Star

Walsall Museum to close at end of month

Walsall Museum will shut its doors for the final time at the end of this month, with the loss of three jobs, it was revealed today.

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Walsall Museum will close for good at the end of the month

Bosses say collections from the much-loved facility will be kept in storage until they can redisplayed elsewhere in the future.

The closure on March 31, which was part of the council's controversial budget cuts that will see £29million slashed over the next 12 months, has been described as a 'huge loss' to the town.

Shutting the facility, which opened in the 1960s, will help the council to save £70,000 a year.

It is housed in Walsall Library and displays social history, textile and metal-working collections.

Blakenall Councillor Pete Smith said "It will be such a shame to see it close.

"I have consistently voted against these cuts. At this rate there will be nothing left in Walsall."

Sue Grainger, the council's head of libraries, heritage and arts, said: "Sadly, the decision to the close Walsall Museum was passed in the council's agreed budget for 2015-16.

"The service will close its doors for the time being on March 31. The collections will be kept in secure storage until they can redisplayed elsewhere in the future."

Plans have already been tabled by the council to combine Walsall Leather Museum, the Local History Centre and Walsall Museum under one roof.

The council has made the heritage centre an investment priority for 2015-16 and is looking to raise £6.2m towards its construction from external bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Mrs Grainger added: "We are very hopeful of being able to deliver a single heritage centre for Walsall borough and working with the Heritage Lottery Fund, we are hoping to submit a stage one bid in June.

"This project will bring all of Walsall's heritage services together into a single, integrated collection and enable us to bring Walsall Museum's collections back on to public display.

"Until that day, we will continue to maintain, preserve and care for them, but access can only be by appointment."

The museum is dedicated to the history of Walsall. In particular it houses the nationally important 'Hodson Shop' collection of 20th century working-class clothing.

Under the budget agreed by the council last month, 12 children's centres will close and around 200 jobs will be axed. But libraries due to close will remain open and street cleansing budgets will not be slashed.

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