Walsall Council bosses to press on with sale of leather museum despite protests

On September 24, cabinet members approved plans to sell the Littleton Street West building to Walsall College to move its SEND offering from the Hawbush campus to the main town-centre campus.

Cabinet members also approved plans to buy a new building in the new town-centre building for a ‘new and improved’ museum offer.

The decision was called in by five Labour councillors to be scrutinised at a public meeting which took place on Tuesday (October 15).

Councillor Klara Margetts, speaking on behalf of the five councillors, said: “The current cabinet decision to push on with this plan seems to go against the majority of the residents.”

Leather fashion designer, Lauren Broxton, who has campaigned to save the museum, said: “The council highlights Walsall’s cultural identity as a leather working town, the leather capital of Britain in fact. Why is this matter being handled so poorly?”

Professor Carl Chinn, a local historian, said: “Unfortunately, Walsall has gained an unfavourable reputation for closing its museums.”

Council leader Councillor Mike Bird, and deputy leaders Councillor Adrian Andrew and Councillor Mark Statham, confirmed that no alternative sites had been considered for relocating the SEND offering, and that taxpayers’ money had already been allocated from the Government’s Community Regeneration Partnership for refurbishing the leather museum building for the college.

While the costs remain a mystery, Councillor Bird said the move does not ‘form part of any budget savings’.

Scrutiny members voted in favour of backing the call-in notice, which brought the decision before cabinet members for reconsideration.

However, cabinet members chose to ignore the pleas from the community and voted in favour of pressing on with the plan to sell the museum.

At the cabinet meeting, Councillor Andrew said: “I will move that we will note the scrutiny recommendations and confirm our original decision from September 24 to dispose of the building known as the leather museum to Walsall College to improve their facilities.”

Councillor Bird added: “The artefacts that are contained in the current leather museum will be safely stored until we get a town-centre position where we can put them back on display.

“It is not our intention to close the leather museum, it’s a matter of reproviding it. In doing so, the line of sight to the college gives special education needs children the opportunity to see people in full time education and actually aspire to be one of those. Our special educational needs children are without doubt a big priority to this council.”