Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill has hit back over criticism of the authority’s continued plans for the Usher Gallery by saying it is “happy to hand it all back” to Lincoln’s city council.
Councillor Metcalfe placed responsibility for “looking after the city’s rich historical artifacts” on the county, which he said had been entrusted with heritage services for more than 45 years.
The City of Lincoln Council owns the building, which is leased and managed by Lincolnshire County Council.
However, in a tweet last night Councillor Hill hit back, saying responsibility for maintaining the Usher Collection sat with the Lincoln council.
“For many years the county council has done that service for them – without any financial help from the city,” he said.
“We are happy to hand it all back if it helps.”
Speaking to Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Jaines, Councillor Hill said the authority, though moving forward with its own plans, would still consider other organisations’ plans.
“If City Council have got better ideas, fine, we’ll let them do it.
“We’re not going to stay in their way,” he said.
The council has also been speaking to the Friends of Usher Gallery campaigners who have their own views. However, he said the authority felt it needed to move forward on its own plans in a bid to give more certainty, particularly to those who work there, with plans set to go before scrutiny next week and executive in September.
He said the changes were not all about saving money, with the Usher not getting as many visitors as the council would like.
He added that the county’s planned closer working between the Usher and the nearby Collection would improve the visitor offering and enable the authority to display more of the artefacts it holds.
“Just because it’s not going to be an art gallery, doesn’t mean there’s not going to be art there,” he added.
More than 800 people rejected the proposals in a recent consultation.
The authority has previously said it will consider interest from the Usher Gallery Trust and Historic Lincoln Trust in taking on the building.
As part of the public consultation the city council requested that the county council explored alternative opportunities to retain the building as an art gallery.
SUBSCRIBE TO LOCAL DEMOCRACY WEEKLY, our exclusive email newsletter with highlights from coverage every week, as well as insights and analysis from our local democracy reporters.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!