Jobs to go at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery has recently undergone a revamp

Staff at a museum and art gallery, which underwent a £6.7m revamp, have been told they are facing redundancy.

Union officials said 12 posts would go at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, as part of a restructure by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), but six roles would be created.

The council said it faced "enormous pressure on its services".

Unison said it was "very concerned" at the news, days after WNC announced a new tourism strategy.

Northampton Museum reopened in Guidhall Road in 2021 after a major refurbishment project, which was paid for by the sale of the Egyptian statue, Sekhemka.

The museum refurbishment was paid for by the sale of the Egyptian statue, Sekhemka

The controversial decision to put the statue up for auction caused the museum to lose its Arts Council accreditation, but it was given back to the attraction after the refurbishment was completed.

As first reported by NN Journal, the museum will be losing its specialist curators in leather, local history and shoes.

They will be replaced by two general curators.

The museum is home to an internationally important shoe collection

The union Unison said redundancy notices were handed out on 27 January and a 30-day consultation was under way.

Lynsey Tod, from Unison, said it was "very concerned at the proposal to reduce the number of staff at the museum and libraries service".

"Only a few days ago, West Northamptonshire Council was hailing the implementation of a new county-wide tourism strategy, which has ambitions for growth, while at the same time reducing the staff that will be tasked with helping to deliver that strategy.

"Providing a vision of growth while overseeing a reduction in staff feels like a council wanting to promote itself, but without the proper tools to do the job."

WNC's Adam Brown said the council faced "enormous pressure" and had to review all its services

Adam Brown, cabinet member for culture and leisure, said: "The council has been clear that it faces enormous pressure on its services, with demand and inflation increasing and the grants and money we raise not meeting these needs in full.

"We have had to look at all services to ensure that we have realised the full benefit of them being brought together, that our income is being maximised and that we are efficient.

"We have reviewed all services in this way and in some cases will now be seeking to restructure where this makes sense.

"We will always seek to minimise or remove any job losses and we will consult with staff and unions where this is the case."