Fears for Leeds museum as council proposes budget cuts

A museum in Leeds is under threat of closure as part of swingeing cuts proposed by Leeds City Council.

Abbey House Museum in Kirstall, which was established in 1927, includes a re-creation of a Victorian shopping street and a traditional pub, as well as galleries focusing on toys and other aspects of childhood from the period.

In proposing its closure as part of required savings of £106.4m, council leader James Lewis said visitor numbers to the Grade II listed building had dwindled in recent years.

He said: “We’ll still have seven museums and gallery sites across Leeds that people can enjoy. Sometimes you have to make hard choices.”

Lewis added that the existing collection at Abbey House would be made available elsewhere.

Closing the museum could save £160,000, according to a council report.

The council said that as part of the cuts, it was planning for the equivalent of 243 full-time job losses, and could not rule out compulsory redundancies.

It is also proposing a ‘pay as you feel’ policy at city centre museums and galleries to raise revenue.