History Centre saved

Jubilee Library - temporary location for the History Centre

Photo by Peter Crowhurst

Council reverses its decision

By Peter Crowhurst, NLCA Chair

Statement from Leader of the Council, Mary Mears

The Council has reversed its decision to close the History Centre. In a victory for commonsense and reacting to the huge public outcry that accompanied the decision to close the Centre, Mary Mears, Leader of the Council, said in a press release:

"Since this was proposed, the level of affection for these services has become very obvious, so I've taken the decision to redirect some of our discretionary spending towards keeping the Centre open. We are faced with a tough financial situation, so we've got to enusre that we are using public money wisely. I envisage keeping the History Centre where it is until The Keep opens."

For full details of the Council's decision visit the Council website at:

http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=c1219014

Original article highlighting the closure

The Council has taken the decision to close the History Centre in order to save £62,000, as part of a plan to save £8 million from its budget next year. The Centre plays an important part in developing knowledge and understanding of our city.

The Council describes the Centre on its website as "the place to come to research any aspect of the city's heritage". It houses all sorts of reference material used by a wide variety of people. Among its material it has street directories, all the Census material for Brighton & Hove, electoral rolls, newspapers, much of this used by people researching their family tree, an increasingly popular hobby. The staff of the Centre are friendly and knowledgeable and will be difficult to replace in any future institution. Under the proposals all four staff are to lose their jobs.

Temporary move to Jubilee Library

As well as the loss of dedicated staff, the plans envisage the research material going temporarily  to the Jubilee Library prior to their being removed to the Keep when built. Current proposals are for the Local History stock to be housed in the current Learning Centre on the top floor, with the family history material being housed in the current study area on the main upper floor.

A number of concerns

A number of concerns have been expressed about these proposals. At the very meeting at which the Council took the decision to close the History Centre, the Council Leader set as a priority for the forthcoming year a commitment to ''protect and respect'' the cultural heritage of Brighton & Hove, a city ''steeped in history''. Closing a centre which is conveniently located in the centre of the city does not seem like a commitment to culture and history.

Will the Jubilee Library have the space for all the materials and how accessible will they be? For how long will they be unavailable during the move? How many materials will be lost during the move? Current plans are for the materials to be split once they arrive. Is this the beginning of a downgrading of the provision of local history materials. How well trained will staff be?

How long will it take?

The Council claims that the materials will be in the Jubilee Library for two years. It is highly unlikely that The Keep will go through the planning process and be built in two years. Indeed has The Keep been designed?  Has planning permission been applied for? The former library was supposedly to be in Vantage Point for two years, yet it was there for about five years! Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation, Tourism and Sport, is optimistic if he thinks The Keep will be ready for use in two years. These things have a habit of slipping. How many years was Brighton & Hove Albion supposed to be at Withdean?

An important resource

The History Centre has been an important resource for researchers in the North Laine and has been crucial in the provision of material for Runner articles and for history pages on the NLCA website.  There is nowhere else in the area where local history materials are so readily available. Indeed much of the research for North Laine's contribution to Heritage Open Days in 2008 and 2009 was done in the History Centre. Its closure will have an adverse effect on the level of understanding and knowledge of local people about the North Laine.

What you can do

If you are concerned at the loss of this important facility and one well used by researchers in the North Laine, please write to Councillor David Smith and/or your local councillors. You can also sign the e-petition on the Council's website but only up to the end of January: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=83&RPID=273279