COUNCIL officials addressed concerned residents at three of Bradford’s four Council run museums this weekend, as plans for a cost-cutting shake up of museums are revealed.

Maggie Pedley, Bradford Council’s museums and galleries manager, addressed a packed café at Bradford Industrial Museum on the changes, which include reduced opening hours and a shift in focus to more commercial and corporate use of Bradford’s museums.

The department must find £260,000 of savings as part of changes to the Council budget announced last year.

The Industrial Museum, in Moorside Road, Eccleshill and Bolling Hall will both see their opening hours reduced as Bradford Council makes cuts, and the changes could lead to museums being closed for weeks at a time at unpopular or unprofitable times of the year.

Ms Pedley, whose first job in the Council was working at the Industrial Museum, said it is “unimaginable” that a museum as significant as that would close permanently.

She said at the public meeting: “Selling this building is completely off the table.

“It recognises Bradford’s cultural heritage and industrial past. People come here for the sights, smells and experience of Bradford’s history.”

However, Ms Pedley did admit changes will have to be made.

“We cannot currently sustain being open six days a week, 12 months a year. When the buildings are closed to the public we could have conferences, weddings, skills workshops, all at a cost to generate income.

“We want to be open at different times and for different reasons. Closing to the public on an extra day means more school visits could take place, with staff tailored towards schools.

“Bolling Hall and the Industrial Museum are more autumn/winter venues, Cartwright Hall and Cliffe Castle are spring/summer venues.”

Cartwright Hall and Cliffe Castle currently will not be affected by the planned reductions in opening hours.

Ms Pedley said staff structures will also be looked at, but a full consultation with staff needs to take place. A vision for the future is expected to be made by July.

Councillor Brendan Stubbs (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) was at the meeting and voiced some concerns over what was discussed.

He said: “It’s a bit worrying we are so close to implementing these massive changes and the Council cannot articulate how it is going to do it.

“Exploiting the commercial value is fine, but you need trained salespeople to do that, and the staff here now aren’t trained for that. It would have to be done properly, not on the cheap.

“We can’t lose the Industrial Museum, in a city like Bradford with its heritage and history at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, you need somewhere which can recognise and celebrate that, and let people see and touch parts of history.”