Save the Livesey Children's Museum Update
The campaign to save the Livesey Children's Museum is picking up pace. On Tuesday I joined local parents, children, Val Shawcross AM and some of my fellow councillors at the Museum.The online petition now has over 350 signatures and our two local papers, the Southwark News and the South London Press are also helping to publicise the campaign.
Unfortunately it seems we need to redouble our efforts as this email from my colleague Cllr Andrew Pakes explains.
Thank you for signing the online 'Save the Livesey Children's Museum' petition, there has been a great response from all parts of the community and from supporters across the world.Despite the overwhelming response and positive coverage in the South London Press and Southwark News, this morning the Council tabled its recommendation that the Museum should close at the end of March. The announcement was contained in just one sentence in a 14-page report. Overall, closing the Museum will 'save' Southwark Council £140,000 - a lot of money but a small sum compared to budget as a whole. It is also considerably less than what the council proposes to spend on publicity, consultants, agency workers or a range of other items.
The recommendation will be discussed next Tuesday by the Executive - these are the Lib Dem and Tory councillors who have proposed these cuts. So, we still have a lot to do in fighting this devastating cut.
Please forward this email onto anyone else who has not yet signed the petition and ask them to do so: http://www.gopetition.com/online/16681.html For more information on the Museum visit: http://www.liveseymuseum.org.uk/. The more support we can get the better. This is a fantastic Museum and a great resource for children, parents and the local community.
Shame on the Leadership of Southwark Council for putting self-interest and political spin before the needs of our local community in in Peckham and the children who benefit from the Museum.
Please do email me at this address if you have any ideas about how else we might highlight this issues or fight the cuts.
Kind regards
Andrew
Cllr Andrew Pakes
Member for Livesey Ward
Labels: Arts
posted by Fiona on Friday, February 08, 2008
5 comments
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5 Comments:
The budget is only being cut because of cuts in the money from Gordon Browns labour government.
If the museum is closed it could always be turned into a mosque. Isn't the mosque at the other end of the Old Kent Road too small for it's present congregation.
Best of luck with your campaign. Unfortunately too many councils run by all three parties keep cutting services to the bone. The more campaigns against closures win, the harder it will be to come for them in the future.
Anonymous - That's certainly what Nick Stanton would have us believe. They have had a 2% increase in grant, it's certainly not as much as we'd like, but I think we could find other things to cut, keep the Museum AND keep the council tax rise below inflation.
Closing the museum will save just £140,000 - compare that to £11.4m spent last year on consultants, millions more on agency staff and vast sums on publicity and promotions.
Re the Mosque - I've visited both the mosque and the museum and I don't think the museum building is much bigger (if at all) than the current building. It also has less parking nearby than the current building which is another problem the mosque has. So I doubt that would be a runner.
Nick Stanton stated to a Telegraph journalist on tuesday that the building would be sold off at public auction.Is this whats behind this?A way of raising a lump sum of cash at the expense of a gift to the people from George Livesey?
His legacy is recorded at the local history library as its use as a library,incare of he Parish Council of St.Giles.
A Mosque is exclusive,its private use.
The Livesey is a unique place,thanks to the creativity of the staff.Anybody who has visited the place will love the cool vibe of the exhibitions,which appeal to adults and children
The space is great on a rainy day and the courtyard garden,landscaped by Groundwork,complete with recycled bottle greenhouse is an additional resource,many families spend the whole day there in the summer.
Cllr Stanton and Cllr Lorraine Zuleta have cleary never been inside.For her to claim that the local kids can get on the bus and go to the Tate if they wish to visit a museum is a joke.Doesn't she understand that this is the closest to a museum that these kids
will ever get to,they don't know the Tate(or even the River)exist,thats not to be patronising,but its a middle class concept to assume that all families have'days out'.
Why shouldn't Peckham have its own museum?
As for saving the running costs,the staff will have to be re-employed or made redundant and their staff costs include being seconded to the Cuming museum ,outreach work,running Sure Start workshops etc..hasn't anybody done their homework here,or are we just going to accept this as a fait a complit?
Spot on rms.
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