Is general election key to museum issue? (From Stourbridge News)

Is general election key to museum issue?

5:00pm Wednesday 24th June 2009

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WITH the Westminster expenses debacle reflecting badly on politicians of all parties now is an ideal time to consider the ‘Westminster connection’ in the proposed closure of Broadfield House Glass Museum.

The Conservative Councillors of Tory controlled Dudley Council are, of course, honour bound (possible an inappropriate phrase!), to support their party in the forthcoming General Election.

It follows that the lower Dudley’s Council Tax the better chance of returning local Conservative MPs. Therefore, the sale of land associated with Broadfield, which would raise several million pounds, could be used to of-set any rise and support the ‘wider cause’.

Thus the history, heritage and culture of Stourbridge would be sacrificed for the short-term gain of assisting potential Conservative MPs joining the ‘expenses trough’ at Westminster.

This is not to say, of course, that the local Labour party – or indeed any other party in power – wouldn’t be doing the same thing if they had the chance or (especially in the case of Dudley’s opposition) possessed the cognitive ability; the shenanigans in Westminster having proved that self-interest and corruption represent a rare area of consensus across all major political groups.

Meanwhile the Council’s bureaucracy - obsessed with cost-cutting - provide meat to the elected representatives election-manipulating drink. The Dudley MBC Web-site contains a piece by C. Miller, Director of the Urban Environment, emphasising the ‘fact’ that Broadfield had 12,000 visitors in 2007/08 and the Red House approximately 34,000, a difference of 22,000.

Meanwhile another area of the MBC web-site gives 2008 figures for Broadfield House as 14,531 and the Red House 28,812 a difference of 14,281 – half that claimed by Mr Miller. However, what neither set of figures offer are the number of visitors broken down by the hours the museums are open.

By Council edict Broadfield is only open for 24 hours a week, whereas The Red House is open for 48.

This (using the latter set of figures which are probably the more honest and accurate) gives 11.6 visitors per hour for Broadfield and 11.5 for the Red House.

Thus are political self-interest and bureaucratic arrogance, as well as general ignorance all round, being combined in the artificial entity of ‘Dudley’ to destroy a very real piece of Stourbridge heritage.

Nick Baker Amblecote

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