Agenda item

The Joint Committee considered proposals for a switch of the hosting arrangements of the Joint Committee.

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

·         It was important to remember that, whoever acted as host, the Museums Service had a role in providing support to all museums in the county

·         The appointment of the Interim Museums General Manager should be extended to oversee the work associated with the switch of hosting to the end of August 2018

·         The concerns expressed by the County Council about the cost of the switch of hosting arrangements needed to be addressed

·         The switch of hosting arrangements should proceed in a seamless fashion without any impact on the service provided to the customer

·         In response to a query, Philippa Tinsley explained that 65 individual members of staff would be affected by the TUPE arrangements

·         In response to a query about the tax implications of the switch of hosting, Philippa Tinsley stated that the ability to exclude VAT from fees and charges depended upon the VAT threshold of the organisation. Hartlebury had always been able to exclude VAT from its charge on this basis. The City Council had never been able to make a claim because its VAT threshold was not high enough. The possibility of claiming a cultural exemption to exclude VAT for the Commandery was worth pursuing after the switch of hosting arrangements. Debbie Birch added that external advice should be sought to understand the VAT implications of the switch. The possibility of a cultural exemption for the Commandery was being explored

·         In response to a query, Debbie Birch advised that the main issue would be reaching an agreement over the loss of income (approximately £10k per annum) rather than the hosting fee. It was added that the main issue for the County Council would be the impact of the loss of income on other budgets

·         David Sutton commented that whatever approach was agreed, it needed to be made clear what the financial implications were for both councils

·         Throughout this process, it should be remembered that the councils would remain partners and continue to work together

·         A member of the Joint Committee suggested that in the interim period a report should go to the City Council's Communities Committee to explain the rationale for change in terms of the benefits to the City Council. A similar report should go to the County Council's Cabinet explaining that the switch was not a takeover of the service by the City Council  

·         David Sutton queried whether it was necessary to take a report to the Communities Committee at this stage as it would be more appropriate to wait until the business case had been completed

·         It was recommended that both councils be requested to carry out the necessary investigative work to facilitate the switch in hosting.

RESOLVED that:

a)    the process and timescale for a decision on whether to switch hosting of the Joint Museums Service (Museums Worcestershire) from Worcestershire County Council to Worcester City Council be agreed as set out in paragraph 15;

b)    the progress to date on costs and implications be noted, and a final business plan report be commissionedon behalf of the joint committee, as set out in paragraphs 8 to 14 of the report;

c)    both councils be requested to carry out the necessary investigative work to facilitate the switch in hosting;

d)    an additional meeting of the Joint Committee be scheduled in early January to receive the final report and decide whether to recommend the two councils to proceed with the switch in hosting; and

e)    The Interim Museums General Manager secondment be extended in order to oversee the work associated with the switch in hosting to the end of August 2018.