Agenda item

Report of Heritage and Arts Manager / Museum Curator

The report and the presentation at the meeting provide an overview of the Watford Museum service, objectives, its performance and future plans, including the Heritage Lottery Fund project. .

The Scrutiny Committee received a report of the Museum and Heritage Manager.  Prior to the start of the meeting, Councillors were given a tour of the Museum and informed about some of the collections on display, which showed some of Watford’s heritage. 

The Museum and Heritage Manager provided the Scrutiny Committee with some background information about the Museum, including the building, the number of items within the collection and details of the staffing and volunteer arrangements.  She advised that there were two key performance indicators which were monitored –

·               the number of visitors to the Museum, including school and group visits

·               the number of school children visiting the museum

The Museum and Heritage Manager explained the Museum’s objectives –

1          Delivery of Arts Council and VAQAS Accredited Museum and Tourist Attraction

The accreditation scheme covered the governance of the Museum, sustainability, the business plan, duty of care to the town, the audience and the collections.  The Museum had recently been awarded a tourism rosette.  A code of ethics was required as not all donations could be accepted.  If a museum lost its accreditation, this was a significant matter and would often be a national news story.

2          Collections care and development

A collection policy was necessary and set out the requirements for any items to be included in the collections.  Items needed to have a connection to Watford.  It was important to take into consideration the temperature of rooms and the display cabinets, the surrounding humidity, the vibrations internally and externally affecting the building and the control of pests.  Staff continually received refresher training. 

3          Raising the profile of the Museum Service

The Museum would soon have its own social media links.  This would help to promote the Museum to a wider audience.  A programme of activities and events was created, some of which took place at the Museum but also in other locations.  The Museum had participated in events across the town.

4          Partnership working and audience development

A list of the Museum’s partners was provided to the Scrutiny Committee.  The latest partner was ‘May contain nuts’.  The wide variety of partners showed the range and diversity of work the Museum was involved in.  The work also included co-ordinating the Heritage Open Day scheme in Watford.  The team had worked with Planning Policy on the restoration of the tombs at St Mary’s.

5          Learning and outreach

The team would be involved in the forthcoming Big Wordfest, which included an event at the Museum about Roald Dahl. 

6.         Staff and volunteer development

The staff and volunteers were provided with ongoing training opportunities.

The Museum and Heritage Manager then explained about the Heritage Lottery Fund Project, entitled – ‘Re-engaging with Watford’s past’.  She showed initial designs of the possible redevelopment.  It was necessary to be mindful of the listed status of the building.  The development would provide opportunities for a new visitor entrance, new galleries which would improve the display of the collections.  It would help the service to improve its reach to a different audience.

Following a comment from Councillor Rindl about audio guides, the Museum and Heritage Manager agreed that this was a possibility.  The team was collecting records of individuals’ memories of Watford and capturing the sounds of the town.

The scheme would help improve accessibility to the public and better storage facilities.  There would be a dedicated learning space with appropriate facilities, including washing and toilet facilities.

The Museum and Heritage Manager emphasised that in order to justify any funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund it was necessary to show that the service was looking forward and making the best of use of funds.  The scheme was at an early stage.  Discussions had taken place with Historic England about the redevelopment.  It was proposed that the side development, which would replace the later addition to the original building, would include a level access direct from the front of the building, rather than the current arrangement at the rear.

The Museum and Heritage Manager set out the time line for the development and the stages that had to be met.  If all development stages were successful, it was anticipated that work might start in 2017.  The work could then take in the region of 18 months.  She stressed that this was a long term project.

Councillor Crout asked whether the Council had committed to the scheme and identified funding for the project.  In addition he asked if the redevelopment would lead to an increase in the number of hours the Museum was open.

The Museum and Heritage Manager advised that the Council was committed to the redevelopment and funding was available in the Capital budget.  It had been ring fenced to cover items such as boilers and lighting.  The Head of Community and Customer Services had also secured additional funding.  The Council would be contributing approximately 20% of the costs for the development phase. 

The Head of Community and Customer Services confirmed that provision had been made in the budget to contribute towards the match-funding commitment. 

In response to Councillor Crout’s second question, the Museum and Heritage Manager explained that the hours of operation would be reviewed and how the service was delivered.  In the future it may be possible to provide more opening hours or to open only part of the building.  Further research would be carried out during the development phase.

Councillor Khan commented that the Museum did spectacular work.  He asked whether the proposed changes would improve the effectiveness of the Museum.  He had noted the number of school children visiting the Museum, but there were many more children within the Borough.

The Museum and Heritage Manager explained that the indicator related to school children referred to those who visited the Museum as part of an organised school visit.  It did not included those children who came as part of a family.  The current building did not provide a dedicated space for schools, but it was hoped that the redevelopment would include a specific area or room, which would help increase the facilities for school visits.

Councillor Khan asked whether the Museum linked its exhibitions to the current school curriculum.

The Museum and Heritage Manager advised that the Museum did recognise the curriculum and this was being developed further.  With the introduction of the new curriculum teachers were regularly looking outside of the school environment for more information on local history.

The Museum and Heritage Manager showed Councillors some of the recent acquisitions to the Museum’s collection.  The items had been acquired at no cost to the service. 

The Head of Community and Customer Services informed the Scrutiny Committee that the Museum had worked with the Watford based film makers who had recently won an award at the London Short Film Festival.  He added that the Museum and Heritage Manager had given an excellent presentation at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

The Chair thanked the Museum and Heritage Manager and her team for the great work they did in Watford and with its diverse community.  He also thanked her for the excellent tour she had provided prior to the start of the meeting.

RESOLVED –

that the report and presentation be noted.