Council and councillors

Report No. 9/2018 from the Chief Executive was received.

Mr G Brown, Portfolio Holder for Sport & Recreation, Culture and the Environment, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to present for Cabinet approval a list of artefacts from the Rutland County Museum collections for disposal.  The artefacts had been identified by the Museum Collections Manager as not being of value in promoting and preserving the heritage and traditions of the County, and whose continuing preservation did not represent effective use of resources allocated to protect the heritage of the County.  The Museum Collections Development Policy required the Governing Body to authorise disposals.  The paper also presented a revised Museum Collections Development Policy, which covered priorities for future museum acquisitions, disposals and ethical collections issues (such as not collecting items resulting from spoliation).

During discussion the following points were raised:

1. Any proposal to dispose of items would be subject to a report to Cabinet and formal consultation (Section 2.9 Report No. 9/2018); and
2. Valuable feedback and information had been received from the Local History Society which would be taken into consideration.

DECISION

1)    Cabinet APPROVED the disposal of the surplus artefacts identified in Appendix A to Report No. 9/2018, presently held by Rutland County Museum, in accordance with the existing Museum Collections Development Policy.

2)    Cabinet APPROVED the revised Museum Collections Development Policy 2018 (Appendix B to Report No. 9/2018) noting that any future proposals for disposal would also require a separate report and authorisation by Cabinet.

Reasons for decision

1. Cabinet was recommended to approve the disposal of the Museum artefacts identified in Appendix A to Report No. 9/2018, and to approve the revised Collections Development Policy attached as Appendix B to Report No. 9/2018.

2. Approval for the following steps as outlined in the policy would help to ensure that Rutland County Museum was able to retain its status as an Accredited Museum, which was a quality standard for the service.

3. The ongoing assessment of the collection will enable the Council to review the best use of the Museum footprint in the future, in line with the corporate strategy of optimising space occupied by the Council.

4. Any future proposals for disposal of artefacts would be presented to Cabinet for consideration, following review and consultation.