Agenda and minutes

The following apologies and substitutions were noted;

Councillor Jamie Lane (Councillor Mike Hallam substituting), Councillor Beverley Mennell (Councillor Joy Capstick substituting) and Councillor Nilesh Parekh (Councillor Brian Oldham substituting).

The Chair reminded everyone present of the procedure for the meeting that was set out on the agenda paper and also made available to members of the public. He also commented that the Monitoring Officer had confirmed that the Call-in process, as set out in the Council’s Constitution, had been correctly followed in this case.

Ruth Thomas, Chair of Northamptonshire Ancient Egyptian Society and museum expert, noted that one argument given for the disposal of the Sekhemka statue was that it was not part of Northamptonshire’s heritage. She commented that statue had been acquired by the first Marquess of Northampton and donated to the Town by the second Marquess. Until 2011 the statue had been on display continuously for 90 years. She believed that the statue was an important piece of social history. An image of the statue was currently used on the Museum website to advertise archaeology. Ruth commented that Egyptology remained popular with the general public and it was important that the Museum maintained varied collections other than boot and shoes: the public wanted varied collections to see. In answer to questions Ruth Thomas stated that Egyptology was of interest to schools and formed part of the National Curriculum and the Museum’s Egyptology collection was well regarded; that the statue had been removed from display two years ago for reasons other than a lack of interest in it and up to that point it had been the single longest displayed item in the Museum; and that when she had worked for the Museum she had undertaken some research into the ownership of the statue which she had been unable to establish conclusively although the remainder of the Egyptology collection she had been able to.

Robert Moore, a Northampton resident with a lifetime interest in the Museum, commented that he was disturbed by the decision to sell the Sekhemka statue and requested that the Committee ask Cabinet to reverse its decision. He felt that that the Council had not been made aware of all the facts. He asked if Council owned the statue and noted the public interest in the sale since it had been announced. He believed that the decision to sell was contrary to paragraph 18 of the Collections Policy. Robert queried whether consideration had been given to the effect negative publicity would have resulting from the decision on existing and future potential donors. He also queried was this just a way to raise money, would other items be sold off; residents deserved to know more about what was being proposed. He stated that the Museum should not be destroyed or stripped; varied collections were important and should not be sold off. Robert urged the Council to work more closely with the Friends of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery. In answer to a question Robert Moore stated that he had first learnt of the sale of the statue through The Times on 18 August 2012.

Gunilla Loe, Chair of The Friends of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, urged the Committee to reverse the Cabinet decision to sell the Sekhemka statue. They believed that the sale was contrary to the Collections and Disposals Policy and that the Museums Association had, earlier in the day, asked the Council to stick to its own policy. They had also asked that the Council should consult widely  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

There were none.

Called-in by Councillors Terry Wire and David Palethorpe (copy attached).

Item 6, decision taken on Wednesday, 12^th September 2012:   

Decision:

“Cabinet agreed to sell the council’s Egyptian statue, Sekhemka, on condition that:

a)  The disposal achieves a price in line with the independent sale valuation that has been obtained.

b)  The disposal is undertaken in accordance with relevant legal provisions and the council’s financial regulations.

c)   Industry good practice is observed in achieving disposal.

Cabinet delegated to the Director of Customers and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, the Director of Resources and the Borough Secretary, authority to take all necessary steps to achieve the sale of Sekhemka.  Those steps to include authority to:

i)   Seek interest and negotiate a disposal to a national or local public sector or not for profit museum or similar body.

ii)    Appoint an auction house to negotiate a sale on behalf of the council either by auction or private sale at an agreed fee and/or rate of commission.

iii)   Negotiate a private sale.

iv)    Incur reasonable expenditure necessary to pursing and or achieving  disposal.

Cabinet agreed that all proceeds of the disposal of Sekhemka be used for the restoration of Delapre Abbey, improvements to the museum service and/or other cultural or heritage projects.”

Reasons for call-in:-

“1. The sale of the Sekhemka statue has been hurried through without careful consideration to other possible alternatives and financial implications. 

2. The Cabinet report says the proceeds of sale of the statue would be ‘entirely reinvested in the town’s cultural and heritage priorities, including the restoration of Delapre Abbey’.  Much more clarification needs to be given, as this statement is very vague.

3. There needs to be more consideration whether this sale is in breach of NBC’s own museums policy (Acquisitions and Disposal Policy, 2010).  When Cabinet made this decision on Wednesday 12^th September the relevant sections of the Acquisition and Disposal Policy was not presented to members to help inform their decision.

Therefore Cabinet may have made this decision with lack of sufficient evidence.

4. In addition, does Northampton Borough Council have legal documentation as to whether it actually owns this statue? The statue has been historically gifted and the report does not say whether any conditions of ownership were put in place. This should be investigated. 

5. The Cabinet report says consultation is underway. The sale of the statue should only be considered once consultation has been completed. More consultation needs to be carried out with various stakeholders such as Friends of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery, tourist/heritage groups and local users of the Museums.” 

   Procedure for Call In Hearing

Public speakers will be asked to address the Committee; a maximum of three minutes is given to each to make comment.

The Call-In Authors, Councillors Terry Wire and David Palethorpe, will be invited to expand upon their reasons for concern, following which the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will question the Call-In Authors.

Councillor Brandon Eldred,  ...  view the full agenda text for item 4.

Councillor Wire DL as one of the Call-in authors noted his membership of the Council of the Museum of Leathercraft and commented that the same day as Cabinet had made its decision he had submitted the Call-in. He was disappointed that the Leader of the Council had publically stated that if the sale did not proceed there would be cuts to the Museum’s budget and that Labour had put investment in the Museum in jeopardy and had stated that the proposed sale had been considered for two years. However, he had only found out about it through the report to Cabinet. In respect of the Cabinet report he stated that there was a lack of evidence to show what any sale proceeds would be spent on, whether the sale was in line with the disposals policy, ownership of the statue and whether there were any conditions on it and what consultation had taken place.

Councillor Palethorpe, as the second Call-in author, commented that the public speakers had been knowledgeable. He stated that two years previously the statue had been removed from display when its’ insurance value had become apparent. The provenance of the statue had been investigated and that this process had been undertaken in respect of other valuable items as well. He noted that later in the evening the Audit Committee were being asked to approve accounts that included heritage assets that were being kept because of what they were. Councillor Palethorpe commented that Lord Northampton had been an important person and the Egyptology collection was pre Christian and pre Islam. If the reason for the statue not being displayed was because of insurance then the Council should work with partners to work put how it could be displayed; how had the display of paintings by Italian painters been resolved? The reason for the Call-in was for the Council to discuss with people widely the best solution, seek agreement as to what to do and how any monies should be spent and that way a consensus could be reached. Following a recent visit to Exeter Museum he suggested it would worth visiting to see what they had achieved.

In answer to questions Councillors Wire DL and Palethorpe stated that there was a danger of telling people what was going to happen and calling it consultation; that the organisations that support the Museum should have been involved; that the Council advertised seven consultations that were currently taking place but this one had seemed to slip through the net; Cabinet should have been asked to defer a decision pending information on the legality of a sale, ownership of the statue and any consequences for the Museum’s accreditation; as the statue was gift to the town consultation should include the public at large; and that the relevant paragraphs from the Acquisitions and Disposals Policy and not been included in the report to Cabinet.

Councillor Eldred, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, stated that the proceeds of a sale would be spent on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.