Northumberland sites may join Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums partnership

Museums across Northumberland could join the Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (Twam) partnership under proposals being considered by Northumberland County Council (NCC).

A council report published this month recommended that museums currently managed by Woodhorn Charitable Trust (also known by its public-facing name, Museums Northumberland) should be taken back in-house by the council in order to join a local authority partnership managed by Twam.

According to the report, the review comes in the context of a “huge strain” on core funding for local authorities as the council seeks to “make savings in a number of areas to balance the pressure arising from statutory services such as adult social care and children’s services”.

Museums Northumberland is an independent charity established to run the council’s museums service and steward its collections. It is currently an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO).  

The organisation oversees sites across Northumberland including the Woodhorn Museum in Ashington; Hexham’s Old Gaol; the Moot Hall; House of Correction; Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum; and Berwick Museum and Art Gallery.

The charity has been supporting the council to identify a preferred model for future museums service delivery in Northumberland. Other options under consideration have included bringing the museums fully in-house or mothballing them.

The council’s assessment found that joining the existing Twam partnership would be the preferred delivery option and would result in savings of around £240,000.

Twam’s constituent authorities are Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, North Tyneside Council and South Tyneside Council. The partnership receives NPO funding from the arts council, and has separate arrangements with Sunderland City Council and Newcastle University.

The report said: “The proximity and success of Twam meant that this shared services arrangement was an important option to include in the delivery model assessment, especially considering the existing regional role that Twam play, working in partnership with all regional local authorities including Newcastle City Council, north east universities and national museums.”

A statement from the council said: “The inclusion of Northumberland County Council’s museums and collections within the Twam partnership is mutually beneficial and would add value and expand the regional museums offer, reaching and providing broader opportunities for engagement for both Northumberland and north east residents and visitors.

“In addition, the proposed expansion of the Twam partnership will provide economies of scale and increase organisational resilience through partnership, enabling the delivery of a sustainable museum service in Northumberland.”

If the proposal is agreed by cabinet, officers will enter into negotiations on the expansion of the Twam partnership.

The report adds: “The sizeable and diverse offer of the museums and collections under NCC’s stewardship provide a deep understanding of Northumberland, its culture and traditions, which are very much an integral part of the broader north east story and cultural offering.”

It is not yet clear if the move will result in staff restructure or changes in the services provided by the museums.

The council's report considered the risk to personnel and services currently provided by Museums Northumberland under the proposals and found that there are “no significant concerns that would prevent the Northumberland service from participating in-line with the current Twam arrangements” and that risks “will largely be mitigated through the adoption of the Twam joint agreement and/or other formal agreements supporting the transfer and subsequent operation of service”.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has already endorsed a decision that museum provision in Berwick will be delivered through a partnership approach between English Heritage, the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, the Maltings (Berwick) and the county council through the Living Barracks project.