Kidderminster Museum of Carpet council cannot offer funding

Councillor Marcus Hart, leader of Wyre Forest District Council, said the council are "saddened to hear" that the Museum of Carpet will be closing on December 20, but it not in a position to be able to provide revenue support.

The leader of the council is due to raise a motion about the Carpet Museum at the Full Council tomorrow night (Wednesday, December 10) and said they are committed to exploring whether any of the artefacts could be displayed in other local historic buildings.

Councillor Marcus Hart said: "We are saddened to hear the news that the Museum of Carpet will be closing. The council is committed to preserving heritage across our district, and I will be raising a motion about the carpet museum at Full Council tomorrow night.

"In it, I will state that although the council cannot offer long-term or short-term revenue support, we remain committed to helping in other ways, including exploring whether any of our historic council buildings could display some of the archives.

"I am delighted to be meeting with representatives from the Museum of Carpet to discuss these possibilities further. I will also be calling on Kidderminster Town Council to see what they are able to do to support the museum, in particular if any artefacts could be displayed at the town hall."

The motion is due to be seconded by Councillor David Ross with the council happy to hear that the trustees are looking at ways of preserving the museum archive.

The meeting agenda said the council recognises the district's "rich history and values arts and culture and is committed to continue funding our own district museum located in Bewdley which has a net revenue budget of circa £550k pa."

The motion suggests calling on the local community and Kidderminster Town Council to see what they are able to do to support the museum and whether any artefacts could be displayed at the town hall.

Councillor Leigh Whitehouse has also raised a motion, which is set to be seconded by Councillor Vicky Caulfield, expressing "sincere regret" at the news of the closure and recognising the work of the volunteers, staff, partners and community groups.

The motion calls for the collection to remain accessible to the public and to consider other suitable venues for keeping and displaying the collection.

The Carpet Museum Trust said the Museum of Carpet, Stour Vale Mill, will close on Saturday (December 20) after 13 years of serving the public.

The Trust said the museum had faced significant financial challenges in recent years and it had become "unsustainable" to continue operations at its current site.