Hello,
It is not often one stumbles across a council apparently more awful than Glasgow but it would seem Waltham Forest may be eligible to snatch the prize for pig ignorant nastiness in their efforts to break up the biggest Arts and Crafts collection in Europe.
I accept that balancing the books isn't easy and that cuts do have to be made from time to time but the council's motives in trying to run The William Morris Gallery into the ground appear to be less to do with money and more to do with a dislike of William Morris. The previous leader of the council described Morris as a 'white imperialist' and the current leader is alleged to have described him him as 'just an old dead white man'. What a pair of ill educated posturing nits.
The cuts so far have led to the loss of the full time curator and a reduction in opening hours. The museum is currently staffed by workers redeployed from the library department who like the council know nothing about the collection.
I cannot emphasise strongly enough that this decision has sod all to do with money. If it was why have the council refused so many offers of help and why are they displaying such open hostility and spite towards supporters of the gallery? The Friends of the William Morris Gallery have now been forbidden from meeting there for no stated reason -you can irritate the council by asking why here. Oh and if you're still not convinced this isn't about money then why have the council spent more on the museum since the cuts?
Waltham Forest is taking part in the 2012 Cultural Olympics.
Cheerio
