Petition to save Walsall Leather Museum surpasses 1,800 signatures in five days

The petition, which gained over 1,000 signatures in five days, is in response to Walsall Council’s decision to dispose of the Leather Museum building to Walsall College.

The college plans to move its Special Education Needs and Disability offering from its Hawbush campus to the current museum building at Littleton Street West.

Taxpayers’ money to make the former Victorian factory disability-friendly has already been allocated from the government’s Community Regeneration Partnership funding pot.

The council plans to store the contents of the Leather Museum until a suitable town centre location is found to ‘reprovide’ a ‘new and improved’ museum offer.

The petition calls for an immediate pause on the current plans until a full and transparent consultation is held, as well as the publication of timelines, reasoning, and reports to explain the decision.

It’s the second petition launched over the matter, the first was signed by over 6,000 people.

Lead petitioner Lauren Broxton, a leather fashion designer from Walsall, said it is crucial that residents living in the borough sign the petition in order to meet the criteria for it to be heard at a public meeting.

She said: “We understand the frustrations that many in the borough have faced for years, especially in the face of important decisions being taken by council without properly consulting and engaging residents who will ultimately be affected most by these decisions.

“The handling of Walsall Leather Museum is in fact not unique, rather, it represents a culture and a pattern by those within leadership who do not follow their own processes and neglect the wishes of those they are elected to serve.

“As a campaign group, we not only wish to alter the course of these short-sighted proposals but also mobilise residents into taking action they absolutely have a right to do, be that in regards to the Leather Museum, the Darlaston regeneration fund, the green belt or otherwise.

“Enough is enough. Walsall’s residents and communities deserve better.”

A spokesperson for Walsall Council said: “We are not closing Walsall Leather Museum. We are committed to relocating it to a central location within the town and we are liaising with many stakeholders about how the museum can become more viable in the long term.

“There is a need to increase footfall and improve its offer, so it provides value for money and better represents the history and heritage of our borough.

“We are actively engaged in finding a new home for the Leather Museum. This is currently a commercially sensitive matter, and we will provide updates when we are able to. We are keen to engage with anyone who has ideas on how we can fulfil the ambitions that we have for the museum.

“Children are at the heart of everything we do as a council, and this move will provide much needed support for local special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) students at Walsall College.

“A new building is not planned for the site, and its change of use will ensure there is a supported environment for SEND students as part of the main Walsall College campus.

“We understand that some residents may have concerns about the relocation, but we would like to reassure them that their museum will continue to be an important part of Walsall borough in the future.”

To view the petition, click here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-walsall-leather-museum