Agenda item

The Leader of the Council provided the Council with an update of business discussed by the Cabinet at its meetings held on 21 October and 18 November 2015 (for copy see file of Minutes).

Councillor C Marshall referred to the decision of Cabinet to move the DLI Museum to the heart of the City and asked what was being done to ensure that the heritage of the regiment continued to be honoured.

Councillor N Foster, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration informed Council that a Motion in respect of this had been received for today’s meeting and that the Head of Legal and Democratic Services would be providing advice on the validity and scope of the Motion.

Councillor N Foster informed Council that in adopting the report the Cabinet recognised the heritage of the DLI regiment must not only be maintained and preserved for future generations, but honoured as widely as possible.

Cabinet also recognised, as a city containing a World Heritage Site, that it was also important to provide an excellent cultural offer, both for the benefit of the County’s own residents and the many thousands of tourists who came to visit the County each year.

However, it also needed to be recognised that what the Council had done before may no longer be appropriate or sustainable, and the Council must therefore look for opportunities for how it could make the most of what it had.

In consultation with the DLI Trustees, whose role was to do what was best for the collection, and in partnership with Durham University, the Council had sought to find a new way of telling the DLI story, a way that would take it to the heart of the World Heritage Site, with its more than 600,000 visitors a year, and give it the far greater audience it rightly deserved.

In addition the Council had been working with Army Museums Ogilby Trust, the recognised authority in this area.

Meetings had already been held with many of those who had strong views on the future of the museum and the Council welcomed the opportunity to meet others in order that this could help shape the future of the collection and how the many important artefacts it contained could be exhibited.

The Council understood there had been significant public concern about the proposed changes, particularly with the idea that the Council was seeking to lock much of the collection away from public view, but that was simply not true.

The Council, as one of the few local authorities which still funded a regimental museum, was committed to multiple exhibitions over the next five years to showcase much of what was currently on display, as well as many items, photos and stories which weren't.

At the same time the Council wanted to provide a new more suitable home for those items not included in exhibitions, with a publicly accessible research facility at Spennymoor at which curators, conservators and volunteers would be able to study and work on items.

Both of those were longer term commitments to the DLI.  Work was well underway on an exciting programme of events for 2016 that further explore and commemorate the role of Durham men and women at war.

The Council was very aware of the importance of the DLI both to the history and people of the county and beyond.  Plans which were being developed with the input of many would offer both a fitting tribute to those who served with the regiment, and ensure the continuation of the collection for many years to come.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised Council that the Motion submitted by Councillor Wilkes sought the Council to agree to delay a decision made by Cabinet, which was an Executive function.  As such Councillor Wilkes had agreed to amend his Motion to seek Cabinet to delay the decision.