Labour plans to close Oxford Museum

6.30.00pm GMT Tue 23rd Dec 2008

Oxford City Lib Dems have protested at the news that the city's Labour administration intends to close the Oxford Museum, which is housed in the Town Hall. Two years ago, the then Lib Dem administration introduced free admission, and the number of people visiting the museum more than doubled in a year, with new "outreach" programmes teaching people all over the city about their history.

Said Cllr Alan Armitage: "The Oxford Museum is a facility for people who live here, rather than for tourists. It shows the social and political development of our town, right up the present day, and the unique role of the university in that. Among the most popular displays are those covering the many writers who've made Oxford their home. There are many special exhibitions for children, but people of all ages enjoy finding out how their town came to be the way it is."

Added Cllr John Goddard: "If the Museum closed, it would not be possible to re-open it again later. This would be a very sad and permanent loss to Oxford's heritage. Labour have not thought through what else they might use the space for, or who might be interested in the artifacts. Yet they have arranged for the museum staff to be told that they won't have jobs next year."

A guided tour of the Oxford Museum can be found at http://www.oxford.gov.uk/leisure/museum.cfm