Councillors and stakeholders are to be given the opportunity to contribute to a review of the future of a treasured regimental collection.
Durham County Council is holding a meeting next week at which its members and invited interested parties will be given the chance to feed into the review of options for the display and storage of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Collection and Archive, and the former museum building and grounds.
The meeting of the council’s Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board will be broadcast live on the authority’s YouTube channel to provide Covid-safe viewing of the meeting for the public.
For social distancing reasons, there will be extremely limited availability for members of the public wishing to attend, with anyone seeking to do so required to register in advance.
The council’s cabinet agreed at a meeting last month that officers undertake a review of all options for the display and storage of the collection and archive, which comprise more than 200,000 historic documents and 15,000 objects, as well as the museum building and grounds.
Cabinet agreed to ask for a report to be prepared and brought back to councillors by September.
As part of the review, a special meeting of the board has been organised to give members of the board and invited stakeholders the chance to contribute.
Invites to the meeting, on Wednesday July 28, have gone to the following key stakeholders: the DLI Trustees, the Army Museums Ogilby Trust, the Faithful Durhams, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Army Museum, the National Archives, Arts Council England and the Veterans Group.
A presentation will be given to the meeting on the scope of the review. Stakeholders will be also given the chance to present their views, or to put them in writing.
There will be an opportunity for members of the board to comment and to ask questions on all information presented; following which they will identify and agree key issues for inclusion in a report which will go to the council’s cabinet in September for a decision.
The council’s cabinet members are also being invited to the meeting to give them the opportunity to hear the views of board members and stakeholders.
A summary of the key issues identified at the board meeting will also be reported to the September cabinet meeting to ensure members of that are fully informed in any decision-making.
Cllr Craig Martin, chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, said: “We recognise the importance of the Durham Light Infantry to our county and the great regard in which its history is held.
“We also fully understand the desire for the DLI Collection and Archive to be as accessible to as many people as possible.
“We are pleased to be in a position to invite key stakeholders to come along and present their views as part of the review process.
“They can be assured myself and colleagues on the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board will be taking on board everything they are saying when considering and formulating our response to Cabinet.”
The meeting takes place in the council chamber at County Hall at 1.30pm.
