News / Trust will fight museum threat
SHETLAND’S award winning museum would become no more than a storehouse for historical artefacts if the council goes ahead with proposed cuts that would see 41 staff lose their jobs.
Economic development director Neil Grant has spread alarm through Shetland Amenity Trust after announcing they would be expected to cut their budget by around £800,000 in the coming year.
General manager Jimmy Moncrieff said 20 staff would be lost from the museum making it impossible to open to the public.
A further 21 specialist construction staff from the architectural heritage scheme would also lose their jobs, jeopardising the current refurbishment of the Sumburgh lighthouse.
Moncrieff said it came as “a complete shock” when Grant informed management on Monday that he would be recommending to councillors a huge reduction in the money it pays to the trust through service level agreements.
The trust directors were informed on Wednesday and immediately began a campaign to persuade councillors to oppose the move, starting with an open letter from chairman Brian Gregson.
On Thursday Shetland Islands Council issued a statement saying they had only been asking the amenity trust for feedback on the proposals. Grant himself was unavailable for comment.
Moncrieff was furious with the council’s move, saying the lottery funding that paid for almost half of the £11.6 million building had been based on the council paying to run it “adequately” for 25 years.
The museum has suffered real term cuts of 27 per cent over the last few years and there was no meat on the bone left, Moncrieff said. The proposal is to cut the museum’s budget by 35 per cent to just over £680,000 over three years.
“The Heritage Lottery Fund were not prepared to put in that funding without the express assurance from the council that they would provide adequate revenue funding. These figures were given in writing by the director of finance,” he said.
“This is supposed to be a partnership, but it’s not a partnership when you’re told your budget will be slashed by 50 per cent since opening without notification or consultation.”
The financial pressure stems from February when the SIC agreed to impose 20 per cent cuts across the council over two years to balance its books, with councillors deciding economic development should take the biggest hit.
However Moncrieff said the museum and the construction squad came under community development and accused the council of “farming out the cuts to outside bodies”.
“We ken that times are tough and we have had to tighten our belts, but there is only so far you can go. There is no fat left.”
Under Grant’s proposals the 21 strong construction squad responsible for building Belmont House and the Viking longhouse on Unst and currently engaged on the Sumburgh lighthouse could go, saving £225,000.
The budget for Promote Shetland, which is responsible for marketing the islands to the outside world, would be halved from £395,000 to £200,000.
The ranger service and the archaeology section are also under threat of being cut back.
Moncrieff pointed out that the amenity trust pulls in vast sums of money into Shetland, for example £3.9 million of the £5.4 million Sumburgh lighthouse project comes from outwith the isles.
He added that the museum would have to scrap a series of major projects, including bringing the Skaill Viking Hoard north for the first Viking Congress to be held in Shetland for 50 years, a major World War One exhibition next year and important visits from the Maritime Heritage Forum and Destination Viking Association.
“This is recognised as one of the top museums in the world by the professionals in the field for the size of community it serves,” he said.
The council statement said: “Service managers are now preparing service proposals for councillors to consider later in the year.
“Where these proposals involve grants or service agreements with third parties, officers are holding discussions with the third party partners concerned to investigate where these savings can be made, where more effective service delivery can be achieved, and where services can be reduced or changed.
“At this stage Shetland Amenity Trust have been asked for their feedback on these proposals.”
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