Consultation on plans to cut hours at Buxton Museum

The decision was made at a meeting of Derbyshire County Council's Cabinet today (Tuesday).

A six-week consultation on plans to reduce the opening hours at the museum from 39.5 to 35 hours a week will start in April.

If the changes are approved following the consultation, it would save around £30,000 a year.

The museum is currently open from 9.30am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and until 5pm on Saturday. It also opens from 10.30am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays from Easter to the end of September.

But it is being proposed to open from 10am to 5pm on Tuesday to Saturday and from 12pm to 4pm on Sundays and bank holidays from Easter to the end of September.

It is anticipated that the results of the consultation will be reported to Cabinet in September.The proposal is another measure the council has had to consider so that it can meet its target for budget reductions, as central government funding continues to be cut.Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for Health and Communities, Councillor Dave Allen, said: “The shorter opening hours proposed for Buxton Museum and Art Gallery will be mitigated by significant improvements in 24-hour digital access to its collections. When open, the museum will also display more objects and more information about them.”