Agenda item

Motions

To consider the following motion received from Councillor T Neilson:

North West Leicestershire District Council is ambitious for Coalville and believes that the loss of a major part of this attraction will have a significant negative impact on Coalville. The loss of footfall to the remaining colliery museum is likely to render it unviable.

We therefore support moves for a community organisation or trust to take on the running of Snibston so that current facilities can be retained and improved upon.

We call on Leicestershire County Council to realise this is a major community asset for North West Leicestershire and wider afield and to refocus their objectives for Snibston Discovery Museum towards engagement with the community to secure the future of this vital attraction”.

Minutes:

Councillor T Neilson moved the following motion:

We therefore support moves for a community organisation or trust to take on the running of Snibston so that current facilities can be retained and improved upon.

Councillor T Neilson spoke to the motion and stated that Snibston Discovery Museum was a jewel in the crown for Coalville and for North West Leicestershire. He referred to the petition which had been signed by over 8,000 people asking the County Council to retain the facilities on that site. He called for Members to join with the voices of residents in calling upon the County Council to look again at its apparent wish to partially close the site. He stated that the Labour Group were ambitious for Coalville and despaired at the shortsightedness of any decision to reduce the offering on the Snibston site. He expressed disgust that the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government were making unnecessarily harsh cuts to local government, and the resultant knock-on effect for our cultural and educational offering. He added that he was equally disgusted with Leicestershire County Council for earmarking this facility for cuts rather than putting more effort into making the site more profitable. He welcomed the fact that the County Council were currently looking at maintaining the Colliery section of the museum, although this was required by law. He stated that he could not see how the museum could be viable without the accompanying facilities offered by the exhibition hall, as mining museums did not bring the masses in. He stated that Snibston had had the benefit of some diversification with the Century Theatre and the science exhibits, as well as the fashion collection, however he did not believe that the full potential of Snibston Discovery Museum had yet been realised.

Councillor T Neilson referred to the Snibston Discovery Park Business Plan from 2004 which stated that the above-average levels of user satisfaction, together with the high number of repeat visitors, suggested that any new formula for development needed to maintain the present broad range of displays. He stated that he would be very happy to hear the County Council make a commitment to retain and invest in the facilities at the Museum, however his understanding was that the political will was not there from the County Councillors to make that happen. He stated that as two of the key people on this issue also represented their constituents on the Council, he was very disappointed that this point had been reached, however there was time to change the recommendation. He urged Members to pass the motion and ask the County Council to seriously start working with local groups and businesses to ensure the facilities are retained in true Big Society fashion. He felt that if the diversity of the site was reduced, the decision would be irreversible, and one that would say to the people of Coalville that they should not have a first class museum, and should not be ambitious for the future. He stated that this was something the people of Coalville would never forget. He urged Members to take this opportunity to fight for this District, and send the message back to County Hall, close our Museum and it will never be forgiven.

The motion was seconded by Councillor J Legrys who reserved his comments.

The Chairman referred Members to the additional papers circulated at the meeting and advised that an amendment to the motion had been submitted by Councillor A V Smith. He invited Members to speak to the original motion before the amendment was moved.

There were no requests to speak to the original motion.

The Chairman invited Councillor A V Smith to put forward her amendment. Councillor A V Smith moved the following amendment:

“Council understands that as a result of government cuts Leicestershire County Council have made it clear they are unable to sustain Snibston Discovery Museum and are looking to reduce the offering to visitors by redevelopment focusing on mining and the scheduled ancient monument. However, this Council recognises the importance of honouring the past coal mining history and heritage of this district and that the educational aspect of Snibston Discovery Park is available in the future within Coalvillle in a sustainable way.

We would like to see the other aspects of the museum i.e the fashion gallery, being retained and accessible to the public in a specialised facility to protect the textiles, wherever that may be.

The Council is also very keen to ensure the country park is retained and ideally enhanced. The ongoing provision of the Century Theatre would also be of significance.

We would therefore support the community and other interested groups in having discussions with Leicestershire County Council regarding their plans”.

Councillor A V Smith spoke to the motion. She stated that she was passionate about Snibston Discovery Museum. She added that the District’s museums were award winning, and Snibston was exceptional due to its diverse nature, which was why she had moved this amendment.

The motion was seconded by Councillor N Smith who reserved his comments.

Councillor J Geary stated that Snibston Discovery Museum was not just about mining and fashion, but also the industrial heritage of Leicestershire. He referred to the fashion gallery and stated that he was well aware of the conditions and infrastructure needed to protect textiles. He added that if the textiles were to be moved, there would be costs involved for the infrastructure needed to protect them, and running costs. He asked if this money would not be better spent maintaining the existing facilities. He also sought clarification on the definition of the Country Park.

Councillor D De Lacy stated that local people believed that the Conservative Leicestershire County Council wanted to get rid of the majority of Snibston Discovery Park and sell the land for housing. He added that the reason Councils were having financial difficulty stemmed back to the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government’s cuts on local Councils. He referred to a letter written by the leader of the LGA.

The Chairman reminded Councillor D De Lacy to confine his comments to the subject matter of the amendment. He invited Councillor D De Lacy to continue.

Councillor D De Lacy stated that by the end of this Parliament, local Government funding will have been cut by 33%, and in comparison Whitehall had seen cuts of 12%. He felt that the financial difficulties were due to the Government disproportionately cutting funding to local Councils. He stated that it was right that the impact of political decisions was recognised and Leicestershire County Council had a duty to listen to local people.

Councillor J Legrys referred to the fashion collection and recognised the energy the proposer of the amendment had put into it. He added that the fashion collection was one of the largest in Europe. He stated that the reason he could not support this amendment was that the fashion collection needed specialist facilities to protect it, and therefore if it was relocated, it would not be within Coalville. He recognised that the exhibition hall was in need of repair. He expressed disappointment that the District Council was not involved and did not provide any financial support to Snibston Discovery Museum. He referred to the economic knock-on effect to the town and added that this was a further rape of the infrastructure. He expressed concerns that what was proposed would cost more, would decimate the economy and could redistribute the fashion collection to the four corners of the United Kingdom.

Councillor D Everitt expressed concerns that once changes were made they would be difficult to reverse. He added that it had been said that the economy was going to improve, however at the same time the Council was destroying its infrastructure. He felt that a holding position was required. He stated that the Conservative Group had great ambitions for Coalville when they took control of the Council, and felt that it was not too much to ask that some ambition be retained now. He dreaded the thought of losing the site.

Councillor T Neilson exercised his right of reply. He stated that he appreciated Councillor A V Smith’s attempt to save face for her dual-hatted colleagues, however he felt there were some legal issues in respect of the amendment. He added that he could not support the amendment as it did not refer to the retention of the exhibition hall, it allowed the fashion collection to be dispersed, and placed no onus on Leicestershire County Council to engage with people. He felt that if the amendment was carried, Members were being blind to the intent of the original motion. He urged Members to vote against the amendment and support his original motion.

Councillor A V Smith attempted to speak in response to the questions raised during the debate.

Councillor T Neilson raised a point of order in respect of Council Procedure Rule 14.9.3, in that the mover of an amendment has no right of reply to the debate on the amendment.

The Chairman then put the motion to the vote. The motion was declared CARRIED.

Councillor T Neilson moved the following amendment:

We would like to see the other aspects of the museum i.e. the exhibition hall and the fashion gallery, being retained and accessible to the public in a specialised facility to protect the textiles.

The Council is also very keen to ensure the country park is retained and ideally enhanced. The ongoing provision of the Century Theatre would also be of significance.

We would therefore support the community and other interested groups in having discussions with Leicestershire County Council regarding their plans and call on the County Council to make these discussions meaningful so we can best ensure the continued use of the whole site”.

The motion was seconded by Councillor J Legrys who reserved his comments.

The Chairman invited Members to speak to the motion. There were no requests to speak to the motion.

The Chairman then put the motion to the vote. The motion was declared LOST.

The Chairman referred Members to the substantive motion, as previously amended.

Councillor J Legrys attempted to speak again.

The Chairman put the substantive motion, as amended, to the vote. The motion was declared CARRIED.

At this point in the meeting, the Chairman called for order.

Supporting documents:

Amendment to Motion Submitted by Councillor A V Smith, item 63. PDF 18 KB