Museums to close extra day to cope with pressures

Museums in Monmouthshire could close for an extra day per week to try and cope with ongoing staffing and financial pressures.

Low staff numbers have meant custodians in Abergavenny, Chepstow and Monmouth are taking on more jobs than they can handle.

The wider museums service has also struggled to balance its books, losing up to £50,000 per year since 2014/15, though it received a £26,000 boost this year.

Monmouthshire County Council is proposing to close all three sites to the public every Wednesday while a full review of the service is undertaken.

A council report has praised those working within the service for their “commitment and passion”, adding that there is evidence of “very good practice”.

But staff are being asked to maintain the front desk and museum shop while also dealing with information requests and administrative tasks such as banking and restocking.

“The museums service includes managing the overall collection and the day-to-day operation and opening of the sites to the public,” says the report.

“Both elements of the service will need to be reviewed in order to identify options for future delivery and ensure that these services remain sustainable for the longer term.”

Closing the museums for an extra day will have no impact on staff as they will continue to work behind the scenes, according to the report.

The council’s tourism, leisure, culture and youth service also provide other visitor attractions including Caldicot Castle, Shire Hall, Tintern Old Station and Chepstow’s Tourism Information Centre.

Plans had been mooted for control of these services to be outsourced, but councillors instead agreed to keeping them in-house.

The report says: “There is potential to now look across these services in conjunction with the museum offer with a view to reduce any duplication of administrative and other tasks which may release staff to deal with customers and potentially increase income by offering a better retail product.”

The review’s findings will be presented to the council’s economy and development select committee later in the year.