Agenda and minutes

The Members had before them:

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated);

B.    A copy of the presentation slides for Agenda item 6 (circulated at the meeting);

C.   A copy of the presentation slides for Agenda item 7 (circulated at the meeting); and

D.   The Minutes of the meeting held on 9 March 2016 (previously circulated);

A copy of documents A and B will be attached to the signed Minutes.

To receive details of any member nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the Committee.

None.

To invite any member to declare any interest in any items on the Agenda.

None.

To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year.

(The Museums Shared Services Agreement stipulates that the position of Chairman should be alternated between members representing different authorities. Therefore, the Chairman should be a representative of Worcestershire County Council)

RESOLVED that Mrs L C Hodgson be elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

Mrs L C Hodgson in the Chair.

To appoint a Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

(The Museums Shared Services Agreement stipulates that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman should not be members of the same authority. Therefore, the Vice-Chairman should be a representative of Worcester City Council)

RESOLVED that Mr R Berry be appointed Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 March 2016 (previously circulated – pink pages)

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 March 2016 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Joint Committee considered the Museums Worcestershire Annual Review for 2015 -16.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were made:

·         It was requested that the Museums Service's official web site address be used on any service-related material

·         In response to a query, Helen Large, Marketing and Events Manager explained that around 4% of the museum service's artefacts were on display at any one time. She was keen to display many of the artefacts that the public had not seen before however some were either too large or too fragile to display

·         Had consideration been given to providing planting schemes related to particular periods of history. Helen Large indicated that the planting schemes were generic in nature however the possibility of planting according to a particular period of history would be considered in the future

·         Heathfield School, Kidderminster should be formally thanked for their contribution to the national competition run by the Historical Association

·         Had consideration been given to charging for the Arts and Reminiscence Service? The Museums General Manager advised that the Elmley Foundation had been approached to see if they would support the service. In response it was commented that if that approach was unsuccessful, the care homes should be approached directly regarding the possibility of charging for the service. The Museums General Manager replied that approaching care homes directly could be an option in the future but more work needed to be undertaken before that stage

·         The service might wish to consider providing a link on its web site to the BBC web page associated with volunteering

·         Was it difficult to attract suitably skilled staff to the service? Philippa Tinsley, Senior Curator - Collections and Interpretation commented that as the service had reduced in size, the number of entry level positions had reduced for example assistant posts no longer existed therefore it was difficult to find appropriately skilled staff to fill posts.   

RESOLVED that the Museums Worcestershire Annual Review for 2015 -16 be approved as set out in the Appendix to these Minutes.

The Joint Committee considered the outline design proposals for the Commandery.

Philippa Tinsley, Senior Curator - Collections and Interpretation introduced the report and commented that:

·         The service had been working with the award winning conservation architects GUM since April 2016 on the design for the Commandery development

·         As part of their brief, GUM had been asked to look at the presence of the Commandery on the street. GUM had identified enlivening the courtyard area as a key feature of the redesign of the entrance to provide a single point of entry before paying for entry to the museum

·         GuM had recommended changes to the café and shop but funding had not yet been allocated – Museums Worcestershire proposed working on a business plan for these commercial elements

·         It was intended that the Great Hall would become the focal point of the building and GUM were proposing to make the room more animated with large projection on the walls. As the focal point of the museum it was intended to provide different routes running off the Great Hall to tell different stories relevant to the building

·         The offer would include the specific story of the Battle of Worcester and its impact nationally. Relevant items from the collection had been identified to integrate into the museum space

·         Specific rooms would be set aside to tell the Parliamentarian and Royalist stories. A room would also be set aside for the end of battle story. A space would be created to look at how the English Civil War had led to the creation of modern-day democracy

·         On completion of a particular story, visitors would be directed back to the Great Hall to choose another story/route to follow should they so wish

·         GUM had been asked to look at the visitor experience to improve the social experience of the visit for example through the use of badges/stickers and mini guide books 

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were made:

·         In response to a query, Philippa Tinsley commented that HLF funding would be sought for the development plans. HLF were keen to see local investment in plans of this type

·         Officers and members had visited the Richard III museum in Leicester to see whether any lessons could be learnt for the offer at the Commandery

·         Had consideration been given to improving the canal side frontage of the building? Philippa Tinsley stated that GUM were keen to extend the café along the canal side and create an entrance for special groups which would allow them access to their own outside space 

·         In response to a query concerning the possible increase in the use of the canal in the future, Philippa Tinsley commented that it was important to create links from the canal to the Commandery and the proposals to improve the canal side access would help

·         Was there a limited amount of teaching of the English Civil War in schools? Philippa Tinsley stated that there were still a number of schools studying the English  ...  view the full minutes text for item 277.

The Joint Committee considered the performance and planning information provided for the 4th quarter 2015-16.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

·         In relation to retail spend, had the proposals for providing weddings at the Commandery been developed and had this work been undertaken jointly with the Guildhall? Iain Rutherford, the Museums General Manager stated that ideally he would wish to promote wedding facilities at the Commandery jointly with the Guildhall. There was no reason for the two venues to compete with each other as they had different styles and capacities. At present work was continuing to ensure that a dedicated space was available at the Commandery for the duration of a wedding ceremony

·         In response to a query about Hartlebury Museum, Iain Rutherford commented that the HLF would need to provide agreement for the work to start before any funds could be spent. As part of the proposals, it was intended to improve the car park to the visitor centre and estate

·         Was there any available comparator performance benchmarking information. Iain Rutherford indicated that he was aware that some key national benchmarking indicators were being developed which he hoped to use in future reports to the Joint Committee.    

RESOLVED that the performance and planning information provided for the 4th quarter 2015-16 be noted.

The Joint Committee considered the financial position of the joint museums service.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

·         In response to a query, Anne Worboys, Finance Officer explained that the reference to "Other City Museum Servs" in the report included management and administration costs including salaries

·         What did the redundancy variation of £35K relate to? Anne Worboys commented that the variation related to £8k redundancy plus £27k pension strain (as a result of the redundancy) for one person following the closure of Hartlebury Museum Café

·         When the new Café at Hartlebury was established, how many employees would there be and what were the pension implications? Iain Rutherford, the Museums General Manager stated that in the future the Café would be run by a private contractor. At present a private contractor was running the Café on a temporary basis. Neil Anderson, Head of Community Services added that discussions were being held with the Trustees concerning the transfer of staff and the pension liability. 

RESOLVED that the financial position of the joint museums service be noted.

The Joint Committee considered its work programme.

In the ensuing debate, it was requested that an update on the redevelopment of the Commandery, whether verbal or otherwise be received at every Joint Committee meeting

RESOLVED that:

a)    the work programme be noted; and

b)    that an update on the redevelopment of the Commandery be received at every Joint Committee meeting.