11 December 2010
Dover Museum Update
You might remember recently dear reader that we ran a feature on Dover Museum. It caused a bit of kerfaffle. The feature, based on a press release from the Labour Party at the time, suggested that the Conservative led Dover District Council had intended for Dover Museum to close. It was on a 'bronze list' of things to be cut. We all know that savage cuts are needed everywhere right across the board and according to this infamous bronze list, Dover Museum would or could make up one of these cuts. Any plan to axe the Museum would certainly be a simple quick and effective way to save loads of money. But the news caused an uproar...as Dover Museum is clearly high up in the People's Affection list.
This feature can be found still in the archived All Recent Features section if anyone fancies a trawl through there. See menu left.
The Leader of Dover District Council, Conservative Paul Watkins (pictured left), who is an active and valued member of this website, said on this frontpage at the time, in the comments section below, that this would NOT happen.
The Museum would not close.
But Labour are not satisfied. Now let us run their latest press release just in....here we are.
At the meeting of the full council on 8 December, Labour challenged the Conservative Leader of Dover District Council, Cllr Paul Watkins, over the future of the Lottery-funded Dover Bronze Age Boat gallery if the Council closed Dover Museum after the next council elections 2011. Dover Museum is included in the “bronze category” of council services, which covers all those services to be cut in the next two financial years.
Gordon Cowan, Leader of the Labour Opposition on Dover District Council, said: “The Conservative Leader said quite clearly that Dover Museum would not close. It is a relief that he has at least taken on board the simple fact that it is impossible to base the Council’s Corporate Plan on Dover’s world-class heritage and then shut the doors of the Museum. What he didn’t say was what would happen to the Museum or how the growing hole in the Council’s finances will be plugged.”
Mike Eddy, Labour Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “The Conservatives have two choices for the Museum now that they’ve been forced into ruling out their preferred option of closure. They can reduce staffing and services further, which will immediately put Dover’s registered museum status at risk. And that will reduce the Museum’s ability to attract funding.”
“Or the Conservatives can turn the Museum into a charitable trust. The problem with that solution is that the Museum is too big to be run by volunteers and too small to attract the high levels of funding necessary to maintain existing standards. The Conservatives have turned away from killing Dover Museum outright. Whatever solution they come up with now will mean a slow and agonising death for the Museum, while the developers circle like vultures round its prime town centre site.
The pity of it is that the Conservatives haven’t grasped the point that a dying Museum is as bad as a dead one when it comes to promoting Dover’s world-class heritage.” (Ends)
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Fire Services under attack by Coalition 'Forces'
Latest Press Release just in hot off the wire from LABOUR Group......
Labour Defend Fire and Rescue Service
At the meeting of the full council of Dover District Council on 8 December, the opposition Labour Group moved a motion to oppose any reductions to fire and rescue cover in the Dover District Council area.
Labour Leader Gordon Cowan pictured said: “The Conservatives and Lib-Dems on the Kent and Medway Fire Authority are considering a review of fire and rescue services across the county. Fire stations in our area on the hit list, supposedly because they have fewer call-outs than elsewhere in the county. But that is a tribute to the work our local fire and rescue staff have done in reducing the risk of fire. All that hard work will have been for nothing if the Coalition partners get their way.”
Deal fire station and St Margaret’s fire station could face closure under the Coalition’s plans. The Conservative group on the District Council proposed an amendment, which Labour accepted, to contribute to the review of services.
Mike Eddy, Labour Group Finance spokesman on the Council, says: “Without the stations at Deal and St Margaret’s the whole district will be put at risk if there is a major incident. And it’s not just fires that the fire services deal with these days, accidents of all types. The first duty of government is the protection of its citizens. The Conservatives and Lib-Dems on the Fire Authority, who like Deal county councillor Julie Rook are appointees from Kent County Council, clearly don’t care about public safety. That’s why we need to get a strong opposition on the County Council.”
(Ends)
