Council steps back original plans to overhaul Stoke museums
Leaders say they've listened to reaction and come up with changes
Last updated 15th Feb 2022
Leaders at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have today put forward a series of new proposals on the future of its museums and heritage services after a lengthy period of public backlash.
The authority met with heritage experts and officials, including a number of organisations of national significance, to discuss the plans, and as a result are going to make changes to the original proposals.
What are the changes
The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery will open to the public Wednesday to Sunday and the new proposals will now include Tuesdays as a special day for schools where pupils can get exclusive access to the exhibitions and educational resources.
At Gladstone Pottery Museum, instead of closing to the public through the whole winter, the museum will now open at Christmas, February half-term and the City Council will consider opening some weekends, with special themed events aimed at attracting families to visit.
"We will pause the proposed changes to the curatorial staffing"
Cllr Abi Brown, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: “We care deeply for the conservation of this city’s heritage and culture as our track record demonstrates, so it has been very important to listen carefully to all the feedback we have received. At the end of this process, we are confident that our core proposal of creating a single team to steward our two main museums at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and Gladstone Pottery Museum is a sound one.
“However, there are some areas where we are going to make changes to our original proposals, following discussions with stakeholders. We will pause the proposed changes to the curatorial staffing, removing the budget reduction and bringing back alternative plans to enhance our ceramics curatorial offer.
Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum to be given grants
“For Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum, we will freeze the grant at the current level for one more year and work with both museums to secure a sustainable future position.
“We cherish our museums and we know the people of Stoke-on-Trent do too. But we also know their current offer isn’t good enough. Footfall is falling and there is an urgent need for renewal. We are determined to start the process of change and are confident that ultimately our museums will be stronger and more sustainable as a result.
“This budget will enable us to improve our financial resilience, maintaining high quality services and continuing to deliver efficiencies for the Stoke-on-Trent council taxpayer.”
Hear the latest news from across Staffordshire and Cheshire on the hour, every hour, on 102.6FM, 96.9FM & 96.4FM. You can also listen on DAB, smart speaker, at signal1.co.uk and on the Signal 1 app