The Joint Museums Committee met to discuss the Museums Worcestershire Annual Review, the financial performance of the museums, and a change to the role of the Museums Manager. They were also scheduled to elect a chair and vice-chair, and to review their work programme.

Annual Review and Performance

The committee was scheduled to review and approve the Museums Worcestershire Annual Review for 2024-25. The review includes a summary of annual performance indicators, and is used by the Museums Worcestershire management team to inform their priorities.

Some key points from the review include:

• Museums in Worcestershire attracted visitors who brought £2.6 million into the local economy. The Dame Laura Knight: I Paint Today exhibition at the Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum alone brought in £1.04 million.
• Visitor numbers increased, mostly from free visits to the Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum.
• Volunteer numbers increased from 47 to 70.
• The Worcestershire County Museum continued to feel the impact of the closure of the Transport Gallery, but reopening was planned for 2026.
• The Commandery was featured on a popular history podcast hosted by Dan Snow¹.

It's one of the best historic buildings in Britain. Just look at this place, it's been at the centre of our national story for hundreds of years.

Historian Dan Snow at The Commandery, December 2024

The review also includes information on wellbeing improvements as a result of museum activities. 11% of people reported an improvement in mental wellbeing from participating in family sessions, and 21% reported an improvement from participating in volunteering and community-led projects.

The review also lists a number of project funding awards to Museums Worcestershire in 2024-2025 from organisations including:

• Art Fund
• Arts Council England
• Association for Art History
• Dame Laura Knight Society
• Elmley Foundation
• John Ellerman Foundation
• Marches Network Legacy Fund
• National Lottery Heritage Fund
• UKSPF[^3], Wychavon District Council and Worcester City Council
• West Midlands Museum Development
• Worcester's Town Deals Programme (department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
• Worcestershire HAF programme (Department for Education)
• Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums, including the Shirley & Rolf Olsen Art Purchase Fund

The review also lists a number of acquisitions made by the City Museum and the County Museum.

Acquisitions for the City Museum include:

• A pub sign from the old Garibaldi pub in St Johns, Worcester
• Gloving items from Alwyns Gloving, the last glove maker operating in Worcester
• Worcester Girls Grammar School Magazines
• A carved door panel from Marl Bank, the house in which Edward Elgar died
• Plough Horse by Dame Laura Knight
• Stanhope Forbes by Elizabeth Armstrong Forbes
• Costumes worn by Ginny Lemon on national TV
• Theatre Royal, Worcester, silk playbills
• A clock from former Worcester City Football Club grounds at St George's Lane, Worcester
• Worcester City FC V Liverpool 1959 souvenir programme, match ticket and Souvenir Handbook 1958/59
• Camille Pissaro print Effet de Pluie
• Archaeological Archive from Building Recording at International House

Acquisitions for the County Museum include:

• Archaeological archive from land off Evesham Road, Upper Moor, Pershore
• Archaeological archive from land adjacent to News Inn Lane, Rubery
• A series of photographs, Rokka Nixxi by Corrina Eastwood
• Davas and Phens - mixed medium artwork by Corrina Eastwood
• Deathless Death - mixed medium sculpture and 5 photographs by Corrina Eastwood
• A Protection and an Ornament - lenticular prints on di-board by Dan Turner
• Patrin Tapestry IV by Imogen Bright Moon
• Stopping Places. 7 sequential photographs by Tim Shore
• Kushti Grai. signwriting, enamel on wood by Jane O'Connor
• Loshali. Wooden cabin stool, signwriting enamels on wood by Jane O'Connor
• Romano Ceriklo - milk churn, signwriting enamels by Jane O'Connor
• Archaeological pottery archive from the Hanley Swan Community Project
• Archaeological Archive from Building recording, Cedar House, Church Ave, Holy Cross
• Archaeological Archive from Building recording, The Mount's School, Bromsgrove
• Archaeological Archive from a watching brief at St Philip and St James Church, Whittington
• Archaeological Archive from a watching brief at St James Church, Birlingham
• Archaeological Archive from Building recording, Barn Close, Broadway

Quarter 4 Finance Report

The committee was scheduled to review the financial monitoring details and budget variances for the 4th quarter, which ended on 31 March 2025. They were also scheduled to approve the designation for the small surplus achieved in 2024-25.

The year-end performance was a £24,933 surplus for Worcester City hosting. This surplus was scheduled to be transferred to the JMS General Reserve.

Under the terms of the shared services agreement, any variance to budget within 5% is transferred to or from the Joint Museum general reserve. It was recommended that £16,133 be designated for development at the Worcester City Museums and £8,800 be designated for the next stage of development at Worcestershire County Museum.

The value of the General reserve at the end of Q4 2024/25 was scheduled to be £251,527. Of this, the Joint Museums Committee has previously committed:

• £63,000 as matched funding against a grant for the development of a new gloving gallery at Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum
• £18,500 as matched funding against grants for a Learning Centre at the Art Gallery & Museum
• £96,000 for the next stage of development of the County Museum
• £9,000 towards collections rationalisation
• £7,917 towards updating The Commandery's Escape Room.

The value of the Project reserve at the end of Q4 was scheduled to be £83,577. The value of the Donations reserve at the end of Q4 was scheduled to be £25,380. The City Plan fund reserve at the end of Q4 was scheduled to be £20,245. Shop stock (held as a ring-fenced reserve) was scheduled to be £18,541.

Adjustment to Museums Manager Role

The committee was scheduled to note a change in responsibilities for the Museums Manager.

Since 2018, Museums Worcestershire has been hosted by Worcester City Council. Staff in the joint curatorial and management teams are Worcester City employees, but split their time between caring for, managing, and developing both the City and the County's Museum collections, museum programmes, collections centre store, and outreach activities. These roles are jointly funded between the City and County Councils.

Worcester City Council agreed its Medium-Term Financial Plan (2025-26 to 2029-30) in February 2025, including a Financial Sustainability Plan to address a 2025-26 budget gap. This reviewed provision and resources across the Council, and brought some functions together into a new Events Team, to sit alongside the Tourist Information Centre.

The Museums Manager role was included in the Council's Financial Sustainability Plan change approach, in consultation with the County Council's Assistant Director for Communities.

The adjusted head of service role will continue to fulfil the responsibilities required of the 'Museum General Manager' set out in the Museums Shared Services Agreement. The role will continue its existing role leading the County Museum team and strategically managing change for the County Museum, for approximately half the week as before. There is no difference in cost for the County Council.

For the City Council, the role now also manages the City Council's Events team and Tourist Information team as Head of Museums & Tourism from 1 June 2025. Any additional costs of this change are the responsibility of the City Council.

Joint Museums Committee Work Programme

The committee was scheduled to note its future work programme and consider whether there were any additional matters it would wish to be incorporated.

The following items were scheduled for discussion at future meetings:

• 2025-26 Quarter 1 Performance
• Finance 1st Quarter Monitoring Report and Budget Setting
• Tickenhill Trust Annual Report
• 2026 Fees & Charges
• Budget Business Plan (if required)
• Joint Museums Committee Work Programme
• 2025-26 Quarters 2 & 3 Performance
• Finance 2nd & 3rd Quarters Monitoring Report
• Major Projects Update, to include any impact of local government reorganisation
• 2026-27 Service Plan
• Joint Museums Committee Work Programme
• Election of Chair and Appointment of Vice Chair
• 25-26 Annual Review and Performance
• Finance 4th Quarter Monitoring Report
• Accreditation and Designation, including the adoption of any required new or updated policies
• Joint Museums Committee Work Programme