Council to review management of tourism and culture sites
The management of a council's country parks, theatres and museums, will be the focus of a review designed to make more money – and reduce costs.
Shropshire Council is looking for a consultancy firm to carry out the review of how culture and tourism in the county are managed.
It could lead to changes in the way some of the county's biggest and most popular visitor sites and venues, including Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn, and the Severn Valley Country Park, are managed.
A brief outlining the reasons behind the review says the council wants to make the operations more commercial in an attempt to reduce the risk of cuts to its £3.2m budget.
A council report said it wants to find out whether the county's culture and tourism assets can be "more financially secure".
It states: "The aim of this work is to establish whether a new operating model could help make Shropshire Council Culture and Tourism Services deliver better outcomes, be more financially secure and be more strongly supported."
The council is responsible for a number of venues across the county, including Theatre Severn, The Old Market Hall Cinema, the Severn Valley Country Park, Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, Shrewsbury Castle, Much Wenlock Museum, Shropshire Museum Collections Centre and Atcham store, Shropshire Archives, Coleham Pumping Station, and The Mere at Ellesmere.
The authority says it wants to cut overall annual revenue costs, but adds that there is scope to increase the amount of money made by its cultural assets, with more investment in staffing, and the attractions themselves.
The report describes the main problems as "threats to the on-going annual revenue budget for these services of £3.28m year."
It adds: "These can be mitigated by making the services more commercial and increasing income, but this will require investment in staffing and the assets."
The report says the council wants to look at the "occupancy, management, and maintenance of each of the facilities",
The council has already agreed a major project in an attempt to boost one of its most significant venues, with a partnership between Shrewsbury Museum & Art Galley and the British Museum set to open in 2024.
The partnership gallery will redevelop the Shrewsbury museum’s Bronze Age displays to present a "dedicated and dynamic narrative of local life from the Ice Age to the Romans".
It will utilise long-term loans from the British Museum as well as rearranging the Shrewsbury museum's own collection throughout the former music hall.
