North Yorkshire Council to Take Over Management of Scarborough Museums

North Yorkshire Council is set to take over the direct management of Scarborough’s museums and galleries following a request from the Scarborough Museum, Creative & Cultural Trust (SMCCT).

The decision comes after the Trust approached the Council citing a "worsening financial position" and concluding that the Council would be "in a better position" to deliver against the objectives of their service level agreement (SLA).

The Council owns Scarborough’s Rotunda Museum, Scarborough Art Gallery, and the Woodend building, as well as the museum and fine art collections within them and in storage. SMCCT has managed these assets under an SLA with the Council since 2005.

In November 2024 the Trust called an extraordinary Board meeting, at which the worsening financial position of the charity was set out, and Trustees agreed to ask the Council to explore the option of bringing the service back in-house. The assessment of the Board was that taking into account the current capacity of the Board and the deteriorating financial position there was not a realistic option of delivering their objectives in accordance with the SLA, and that the team at North Yorkshire would be in a better position to do so

The Council's Executive Member for Culture, Arts & Housing, Councillor Simon Myers, says taking the operation of the museums back in house seems the most viable option.

The Council's preferred option is direct management of the museums and galleries, similar to their existing arrangements in Harrogate and Skipton. A report to councillors suggests this offers opportunities for collaboration across a wider museums, galleries, and archives service and could reduce support service and management costs. 

From the Council's perspective, doing nothing was considered unviable as the responsibility for the buildings and collections would revert to them if SMCCT became unviable anyway, potentially leading to an unmanaged transition and service disruption. Providing further financial and management support to the Trust was also deemed not a viable option, as the Council assessed that SMCCT may not have the capacity to turn around their current position and it presented a greater financial risk to the Council.

Councillor Mark Crane stressed that the idea to take over the running of the museums was not initiated by the council.

The Trust has reportedly committed to a positive transition, and staff are expected to be TUPE transferred to the Council.

However, the move has faced some scrutiny and criticism. John Oxley MBE, a professional archaeologist spoke at yesterday's Council meeting, he doesn t think the report presented to the councillors justifys the museums being taken back into council control.

John Oxley says the publically available information doesn't point to financial issues at the trust.

Mr Oxley says he believes a local trust is the best way to operate local museums.

Councillor Myers emphasised that the decision is being taken based on the request from the trustees, and the current state of the trusts finaces are questions for the trust and not the council.

The current SLA with SMCCT runs until December 2038, providing around half a million pounds annually, which increases with inflation. There are questions about whether this level of funding will be maintained under Council control, with concerns raised about the potential for future budget cuts. Scarborough Councillor Rich Maw questioned whether future funding for the museums could be subject to cuts if they become part of the council's budget.

Councillor Crane expressed his frustration that the council is being seen in a negative light by some people in relation to the plan. He says the Council is acting as a "back stop" to help maintain important assets in the town, he agrees that the idea of having the museums operated by a trust is desirable and thinks it could be an option again in the future.

Councillor Myers says that the well-being of the museum staff is a primary concern in the transition and that they have been working with the Council's HR and cultural services teams.

The Council says there is a "significant backlog" of internal repairs, particularly at the Rotunda Museum, which they will need to address post-transfer, potentially leading to temporary closure and impacting income. 

A transition budget of £56,000 has been approved to support the transfer of services.

The council says that 

"Bringing the Scarborough cultural venues and service delivery in-house gives opportunity to improve performance through provision of a consistent approach to community and visitor engagement, led by an award-winning museum and cultural team

The delivery of the service will contribute towards the delivery of the North Yorkshire Cultural Strategy as well as supporting delivery of wider Council priorities"

The council's executive committee voted to back the plan at a meeting yesterday, The termination of the existing agreements and the transfer of staff, assets, and data will now be formalised through legal agreements.