‘Most short-sighted decision council has ever made’: Museum of Cannock Chase shuts its doors

The Museum of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire has closed down after holding a farewell day for visitors over the weekend.

The local history museum was forced to shut its doors after more than 36 years following Cannock Chase District Council’s decision to cut its £255,643 annual subsidy in order to address a £1.3m budget shortfall.

Staff at the museum have been made redundant.

An independent review commissioned last year found that the council’s spend on leisure, culture and heritage services accounted for around 15% of its net budget, which the local authority said was “much higher than many councils of a similar size”.

The council said the review was necessary because its leisure, culture and heritage service had been severely impacted by the pandemic and had suffered from significant increases in energy prices, high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.

The review identified the museum as one of two sites that did not “have the same potential to reduce their level of subsidy” as the council's other leisure services. It found that the museum building would require more than £290,000 by 2030 in repair and maintenance costs.

The review said that there was “very limited potential to generate income at the museum and the condition of the building is not helpful in preserving the collections”.

The other site, the Prince of Wales Theatre, has also closed.

The Museum of Cannock Chase started out as the Valley Heritage Centre in 1989 and was a popular attraction for school visits, family outings and community events.

The museum had been managed by the Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles charity on behalf of the council since 2012.

Former museum manager Alisa Bellingham, who worked at the venue for 27 years, described the closure as the “most short-sighted decision the council has ever made”.

Writing on LinkedIn, Bellingham paid tribute to the museum's staff team in the months leading up to the closure.

She said: “We all know this was wrong and that this is probably the most short-sighted decision the council has ever made. But I’m not going to focus on that right now.

“This week, in fact the last four months, could have been totally unbearable. But what has kept me going is the amazing museum team I’ve had around me.

“Despite knowing how it was all going to end, they stayed right to the end, kept it all going and offering the best possible service until the last day, despite everything thrown in their way. This shows what kind of people they are – true professionals who believed wholly in what the museum was all about. They have my sincere thanks and gratitude.”

The council has previously said it would prepare a detailed plan for decommissioning the museum.

Council leader Tony Johnson said earlier this year that provision had been included in the budget for such work, and the digitalisation of the collection.

Johnson said the council would work to identify ownership of artefacts, and would consult with funding partners to identify any requirements for returning unused funds and grants awarded to the museum.

The council could not be reached for further comment.