Labour candidate urges people to help save '˜walk in' public access to St John's Museum

St John's Museum in Warwick is under threat of being closed for '˜walk-in' public access - and a student is urging people to take part in a consultation which could prevent this.

Serhan Wade, the Labour Party candidate for the Warwick South seat on Warwickshire County Council, is concerned about the authority’s proposals to save £261,000 in the financial year from 2017 to 2018 which could lead to the museum being open only for public events and school groups.

The council has agreed to launch a public consultation into the proposals for its Heritage and Cultural Services (HCW).

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Mr Wade said: “There is a real possibility that St John’s Museum could close to the public. This would take away a valuable place for family outings and will create problems for the regimental museum upstairs.

“I’m concerned about issues like this which is why I’ve decided to stand as a candidate.

“A town with a tourist-
reliant economy like Warwick needs visitor attractions so this could affect jobs and local businesses as well.

“The minimal cost to run it is nothing in comparison to the benefits we gain from having it.

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“I urge residents to take part in the consultation which will be on the county council website shortly. In this time of budget cuts, we must protect the public services we care about.”

The council’s savings requirement for HCW from 2014 to 2018 is £478,000 and it has already found £217,000 by cuts and changes to these services.

More information about the proposals can be found here