Half of all staff at city museums face losing jobs
UP to half of all jobs at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery are at risk of being lost in the latest blow to the city from the coronavirus fallout. Bosses at Birmingham Museums Trust revealed the move after all but one of its venues were forced to close in March.
The Trust has not made clear how many workers at the nine attractions it runs that affects.
The charity’s biggest attractions are the landmark Thinktank science museum, at Millennium Point, and the city centre Museum & Art Gallery.
Other venues include Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Soho House, Weoley Castle and the Museum Collections Centre.
Sarehole Mill, a 250-year-old building with links to JRR Tolkein, has been a solitary success story for the trust, remaining open as a community hub and producing bread which it sells at its small neighbourhood shop.
The redundancies are the latest hammer blow to the charity which, earlier this month, announced plans to stay closed until at least September after missing out on an emergency lifeline.
The trust launched an urgent appeal to try to plug the funding black hole after missing out on the Arts Council cash.
A statement on the Birmingham
Museums Trust website reads: “It is with regret that Birmingham Museums Trust has entered a period of redundancy consultations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Around half of our staff have been placed at risk of redundancy.
“We are working hard to do everything possible to ensure the future of the Trust. Discussions continue with our funders Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England and we are waiting to hear more details about the Government’s £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector.
“This new funding was very welcome news and when we know more about the application process we will make our case for the financial support we need.
“Our public appeal has raised over £25,000. All donations support our valuable work and will help secure our future.
“The fact remains that without significant additional funding our charity faces a challenging future. At this stage we anticipate a considerable drop in visitors and the loss of income from our cafes, shops, tickets and other commercial activity is unsustainable.
“We have been enterprising, secured what funding and support we can, and have reduced our costs, but we now need to cut back further and this is how we have reached the painful decision to consult staff about redundancies.
“Our staff are the heart of our organisation, they care deeply about what they do and are always keen to share their infectious enthusiasm for culture, heritage and science with others.
“Those affected have been contacted and no final decisions on redundancies will be made until the consultation process has been completed.”
Niels de Vos, chairman of Birmingham Museums Trust, added: “Birmingham Museums Trust is a not-for-profit organisation without large reserves.
“Since April a large proportion of our staff have been furloughed and with this scheme coming to an end, we sadly can’t save everyone’s jobs.
“Only when visitor numbers and spend return to pre-coronavirus levels will our business model break even again.
“We desperately want to avoid redundancies, but we must do what we can to secure the future of the charity so that Birmingham Museums can be back open to inspire, educate and entertain the people of this great city once again.”