Issue - meetings

The Russell-Cotes is a charity which is managed by the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum Management Committee as a delegated sub-committee of Cabinet.  The Committee has a membership of 3 councillors (with voting rights), 4 external appointees (without voting rights) and Sir George Meyrick.

Largely due to Covid, the renewal of the Committee membership has been challenging and subject to delays and the Management Committee is currently in a position where, under the Terms of Reference it is due to lose 3 of its 4 external members by October 2022.

Russell-Cotes is currently in an exceptional moment in its history where it faces very significant challenges and opportunities. Since 2018, the Management Committee has been exploring how to improve the governance arrangements of the Russell-Cotes to ensure that it can thrive in the long term, given the compromised governance arrangements and the challenges of Local Authority funding. It has reached a pivotal moment in this long and complicated process and over the next few months, it is anticipated that very significant decisions will need to be made on whether and how to pursue this direction of travel.

2022 is also the Centenary Year for the Russell-Cotes with increased programming, marketing and activities drawing attention locally, regionally and nationally to this iconic heritage and cultural asset of Bournemouth.

The Museum Manager presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Management Committee were asked to consider to recommend to Cabinet that the Chair of the Management Committee be given a further term of office to provide vital continuity at an exceptional time for the Russell-Cotes both externally and internally.

It was unanimously agreed that a report requesting the that the Chair of the Management Committee be given a further term of office, be presented at the September meeting of Cabinet, at the latest.

RESOLVED that the Management Committee recommend to Cabinet that the Chair of the Management Committee be given a further term of office to provide vital continuity at an exceptional time for the Russell-Cotes both externally and internally.

Voting: Unanimous