Walsall Council is expected to scrap the unpopular decision to move the Leather Museum, keeping it at its current location on Littleton Street West. The newly formed Reform cabinet will meet tonight to reverse the previous Conservative administration's plan, which had sparked a fierce campaign by residents and heritage advocates.
Costs and Lease Details Revealed
Council papers published ahead of the meeting reveal that the relocation scheme would have cost around £10 million. The current running costs of the museum at its original site are £288,000 per year. The previous Conservative administration approved the move in September last year, along with a 125-year lease of the building to Walsall College for its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision. The lease was signed just two days before the all-out local elections.
Tonight, the Reform cabinet will approve negotiations to surrender the building's lease with Walsall College and confirm that the Leather Museum will remain at its current location.
Campaigners' Concerns and Vigilance
Linda Boys, a Walsall resident and newly confirmed magistrate, has been a persistent critic of the relocation plan. She claims the council put itself at risk by not including break clauses or protections for policy reversal in the contract. "I have seen the contract. As far as I can determine, the contract contains no clause dealing with a potential change of administration and the associated risk of a change in position or policy," she said. "That omission is surprising given the involvement of senior lawyers, financial officers and advisers within the council."
Boys added: "While we welcome the recommendations, our focus is on whether the earlier decision-making process was lawful, properly authorised, and adequately risk-managed. The report itself still does not fully confront the legal and governance failings behind the earlier decision."
Lauren Broxton, a Walsall resident and leather fashion designer who led the campaign to save the museum, said: "In the wake of everything we have just been through, I think it's important now to take the time to carefully consider the next steps. It now becomes the duty of the administration and campaigners to ensure the long-term protection of the museum against any similar motives in the future." She urged supporters to "stay vigilant as we navigate this crucial development and the inevitable challenges that will come with it."
Political Reactions
Councillor Adrian Andrew, former deputy leader of Walsall Council and now leader of the Conservative group, described the reversal as a "huge opportunity lost." He said: "Our administration had a vision for a new museum reflecting the whole borough and the communities that make up the place that we call home. Our plan was not to close the museum but to enhance the offer by moving it to the town centre site." He acknowledged that the vision "was perhaps not articulated by the council and the administration as well as it could have been."
Councillor Matt Eason, portfolio holder for culture, health and wellbeing at Walsall Council, said: "The report recommends that the museum remains at its historic home on Littleton Street West, recognising its significant cultural importance and the strong role it plays in supporting the borough's identity and visitor economy. The Reform administration is also mindful of the passionate local and wider support for maintaining the museum at the Littleton Street site, and is committed to securing its long-term future."
