Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ constituency museum at risk due to budget crisis

A museum based in the home constituency of Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to be shut down due to swingeing budget cuts on the eve of its centenary celebrations.

Abbey House Museum situated in the gatehouse of the 14^th century Kirkstall Abbey on the outskirts of Leeds, has been earmarked for closure as part of savings drive that look set to decimate the cultural sector across the West Yorkshire city.

The interactive museum offering a unique glimpse of Victorian life opened in 1927 as a museum and boasts three replica 19th century streets with authentically recreated shops, pub and houses. Exhibits range from the 19th century equivalent of a modern high street with a chemist, ironmongers, haberdashers, mourning warehouse and a traditional Victorian drinking house.

On the first floor there are childhood galleries exploring toys through the ages plus temporary exhibition galleries. Also contained within the museum is the original gatehouse of Kirkstall Abbey with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows.

The museum, in Reeves’ Leeds West and Pudsey constituency, is used by schools and communities, welcoming over 5,300 pupils from schools across the north and 1,938 people from community groups in the last financial year.

But poor marketing and promotion post pandemic has resulted in a decline in visitors over the last three years, with visitor figures of just over 39,000 in 2023/24.

Council chiefs say closing the museum would save around £160,000-a-year but staff have been left distraught saying the closure will leave a “black hole” in the city’s cultural heritage.

One said: “In the blink of an eye we’ve gone from having a government talking about how the cultural sector could drive levelling up across the north to being the fall guys for all the economic mismanagement.

“This museum would be 100 years old in 2027 yet it seems none of us will be around the celebrate. It would be nice if out MP could intervene but she seems to have other things on her mind now she’s chancellor. It’s such a shame for her constituency.”

Leeds City Council says it faces “unprecedented budget challenges” as it desperately tries to claw back cash in a bid to prevent going bankrupt like several other authorities including Birmingham, Nottingham and Woking.

The Labour-run authority is planning a near-five per cent council tax increase and the introduction of “pay as you feel” admission charges at its city centre museums and galleries.

The plans, it says, are needed as part of essential savings of nearly £106.4 million with the cost of supporting social and child care in the city rocketing.

But teacher Allannah Tinker, from Newlands Academy said she had been running school trips to the museum for years and children “love it” and it’s closure would be “very upsetting” .

She said: “They get to make their own toys and learn how they’ve changed over time. And the old model streets are amazing. It’s a really great place to visit.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “As part of a series of wide-ranging proposals being explored across the authority to help us meet unprecedented budget challenges, Leeds City Council will be consulting on the potential closure of Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall.

“We absolutely recognise that this will come as disappointing news to anyone who has visited the site over the years, but unfortunately these proposals are an unavoidable consequence of what has become an increasingly unsustainable financial situation.

“Since the pandemic, visitor numbers at Abbey House have been steadily declining, with less than 40,000 visitors attending in 2023/24, and it is projected that visitors number will continue to fall by a further 20 percent over the next year.

“Closing Abbey House Museum to the public will save the Council £160,000 a year. Budget pressures, combined with rising costs make any investment in the site increasingly difficult.

“In light of this and the immense challenges facing the council, we have been given little choice but to look at the long term viability of the museum as a council-run visitor attraction.

“We would stress that no final decision has been taken and timescales on any potential closure would be decided following consultation with staff and stakeholders.

“The council does not take any decisions about visitor attractions lightly, and these proposals have been brought forward in an effort to help protect vital, front line services while also attempting to safeguard the most viable and sustainable future for all of our much loved museums and galleries.”