Museum Committee minutes

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The Museum Committee met on 15 September 2025. p1

Katherine Buckland, the Museum & Collections Manager, updated the committee on the museum's business plan, including National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding that could potentially be extended to 2027/28. p5

The committee was told about an Arts Council England funded options appraisal covering the Towner, the Contemporary, and the museum, with the Towner leading the work. p6

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• p1Museum Committee — minutes of the meeting on 15/09/2025
• p54. Business Plan development update Katherine Buckland, Museum & Collections Manager, explained that previous delays had been due to issues surrounding NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) funding. She noted that the current NPO funding could potentially be extended to 2027/28. While the outlook for continued funding appears positive, further confirmation is still needed. Katherine is currently undertaking more detailed planning and expects to provide a fuller update at the November meeting. Councillor Barnett expressed interest in two key areas: understanding the museum’s future plans and reviewing the previous plan to assess how well it met its targets. He suggested it would be beneficial for the committee to hear about the museum’s performance to date. In response, Katherine Buckland confirmed she could prepare a performance review for the committee. Councillor Hilton added that the museum has a strong track record of tracking progress on a quarterly basis. Councillor Collins raised a question regarding shop income—specifically, whether it is retained by the museum or absorbed into general funds. Katherine responded that she believes it forms part of the museum’s income. Victoria Conheady clarified that there is a projected income budget for the museum. If the museum generates a surplus, it would be absorbed into the general budget. She noted that budget discussions are ongoing and this matter will be raised as part of those discussions. Action: Katherine Buckland to review the past year and produce a performance report for the committee.
• p65. HMAG- Arts Council Funded Options Appraisal Victoria Conheady gave a brief introduction to the current work involving Arts Council England, which is funding the Towner, the Contemporary, and the Museum. The Towner has been leading on this initiative, with Caroline Felton from Stone King law firm acting as the lead consultant. A meeting with museum leads is planned, and there is likely to be an informal meeting to discuss proposals. As the council owns the Contemporary building, any decisions will ultimately need to be made by the board. This is expected to take place around the time of the November meeting. Councillor Horn asked about the relationship between the stakeholders and why the De La Warr Pavilion was not involved. Victoria explained that the process is being driven by the Arts Council and noted that Eastbourne, Lewes, and Hastings Borough Councils share a CEO. Councillor Barnett expressed concern that this could become a significant piece of work and that the committee had not yet been consulted. He suggested that a briefing should be arranged for the committee, the Museum Association, and the Community Interest Panel. Councillor Hilton noted that an email had been circulated and asked for it to be shared with the Museum Association and Community Panel. Richard Street from the Museum Association confirmed he had received the email but had not had any further communication. He found it unusual that the committee had not been more involved. Lorna Hamilton-Brown from the Community Panel said they had seen the paper but felt they needed to be brought in earlier to help shape the scope of the work. Victoria Conheady agreed to feed this back to the consultant. She explained that a small working group had been formed, including representatives from these groups, but time had been limited. She reassured the group that any decisions involving the committee would go through the appropriate governance structures.