A Liberal Democrat councillor says the move suggests Cardiff Council “have made the decision to wind it down”
THE Museum of Cardiff has stopped actively taking donations with a local councillor saying that “the Council seems to have made the decision to wind it down”.
Cardiff Council has only just finished consulting on plans to turn the museum into a remote, pop-up attraction. The results of the consultation have yet to be made public, and one expert told The Cardiffian that the proposal is “incredibly ill-considered”.
A public meeting took place last night at Cardiff University to protest against the cuts to public services, including the privatisation of St David’s Hall.
Cardiff Council confirmed to The Cardiffian that the museum has stopped taking donations, saying: “The team working at the museum decided it was a practical, temporary step ahead of a decision on whether it should become mobile or remain in the Old Library.”
Leader of Cardiff Liberal Democrats, Cllr Rodney Berman, called the move “a disgraceful abuse of process”.
Plaid Cardiff Central said: “We wholeheartedly condemn the closing of The Cardiff Story and the underhand manner it’s being done by Cardiff Labour.”
The proposal is part of Cardiff Council’s response to the £23.5m budget shortfall that it is facing in the next financial year – 2023/24.
To help fill this funding gap, they are planning to shift the Museum of Cardiff away from its current permanent home in The Hayes and instead make it a pop-up attraction that travels around the city.
The Council’s argument is that this will save them £266,000 a year and, if they are able to find the money and a suitable venue, they could then re-open it permanently in the future.
However, some are suggesting that the move amounts to a soft closure, arguing that it jepeordises the museum’s ability to raise funds in the future.
Any changes to the museum — alongside cuts to other services and the leasing of St David’s Hall — are set to be finalised at the Council’s budget meeting on March 9.
