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MS joins criticism of Cardiff Council’s plans for St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff

21 Dec 2022 3 minute read
Heledd Fychan. Picture by Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan is urging Cardiff Council to reverse plans to privatise St David’s Hall and move the Museum of Cardiff out of its home in the Old Library on The Hayes and turn it into a mobile attraction.

The Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central has written to the leader of Cardiff Council to express her concern at the proposals, and warns that once the venues are lost “they will be lost forever”.

Prior to being elected to the Senedd last year, Ms Fychan worked for the National Museum of Wales and was on the Board of the Museums Association.

She had also previously been part of a campaign to retain Cardiff’s cultural offer when similar proposals were put forward in 2016.

Jewels

Ms Fychan said: “Culture isn’t something nice to have when times are good. Culture is an integral part of our identity and should be available to all to access and enjoy.

“Both St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff are jewels in our capital city’s crown, and not only serve the local population but are also an important part of our offer to visitors and tourists.

“When such proposals were put forward by the Council in 2016, there was public outcry and both organisations were saved. Seeing these plans now revisited makes me question why more hasn’t been done by Cardiff Council in subsequent years to safeguard Cardiff’s cultural offer for future generations.

“The Museum of Cardiff has won multiple awards, including winning the Visit Wales Gold Award for delivering a memorable visitor experience earlier this year. This is despite Cardiff Council minimising the space available to the Museum by placing other ventures in the building, therefore limiting its income generation activities.

“Moving the whole museum to a mobile offering is a closure, and to call it anything other than that is hugely misleading.

“I urge Cardiff Council to urgently reconsider these proposals, and instead look at alternative ways to retain both St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff in public ownership.

“Once they are lost, they will be lost forever, and we should be doing everything possible to secure their future as part of our offering to both the residents and visitors of Cardiff.”

The councils plans for both St David’s Hall and the Museum of Cardiff will be the subject of a public consultation that commences on 23rd December.


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

This is really quite shocking and if need be a petition should be considered, recall the National Library scandal a couple of years back. That and questions in the Senedd, fancy Cardiff Council having so little civic pride, shameful…

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
1 year ago

This decision to privatise Cardiff’s cultural history is being brought to you by the same bunch of clowns who thought it would be a good idea to have a british military museum built in Cardiff, I think it’s about time the people of Cardiff woke up to what these neoliberal chancers are doing to Cardiff and seriously think hard who they vote for in the next council elections.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

I’m about as far away as you can get from Cardiff at the moment but we are acutely aware up here that all is not right in the Capital…there seems to be two gangs operating there, one in City Hall and the other in the Senedd…

The two institutions need an audit and a good dose of looking at by the rest of Wales…

It is our Capital City after all and not some chosen big business people’s and developer’s golden egg…

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