Letter: Shortsighted approach to culture and heritage

Peterborough Museum could lose its Arts Council accreditation, says letter writer June Bull

It is shortsighted of our local authority to seek savings by awarding a further contract until 2029 to Peterborough Ltd who in turn will form a “not for profit” subsidiary which in turn can sub-contract services. The council owned company (Peterborough Ltd – predominantly concerned with waste disposal) will not be able to access grants or external funding and more likely Peterborough Museum will be in jeopardy of losing its accreditation with the Arts Council, as services dwindle.

In an era where such services are in greater demand, as the government’s own Health and Well-being programme starts to bite, and where Peterborough’s day and nighttime economy needs to grow in line with central and local governments’ ambitions, the city’s administration looks to culture/heritage and libraries to take a fiscal hit.

In my opinion, it is ill-judged to try and use such increasingly well-used services to help close the gap in Peterborough’s finances (£5m gap).

My entire concern is protecting the level and standard of leisure, heritage and library services for our city.

To discount other options is short range, as once a service is gone….it’s gone, and it’s very hard to recover the level and standard, plus expert staff resources in the near to mid-term future.

We have Peterborough Positive and Opportunity Peterborough who are funded in different ways to improve our city; so again if we cut back on our leisure and cut the cost of culture/heritage and libraries then what have we as our unique selling proposition? People make places and their culture and heritage really matter, plus libraries are not just public spaces dedicated to print and digital media but also social spaces and community hubs for users.

I implore our local council to rethink their position on the above quick to achieve cuts. Other options like transferring to a commercial operator or establishing a new separate entity like a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, can take 12-18 months so why award a contract to Peterborough Ltd until 31 March 2029?

June Bull – Former Vivacity Trustee, former elected member & city’s culture champion; local historian and published author