It is reported in the Argus today that the Council in its quest to save £8M pounds from next year's budget will be considering closing the Brighton History Centre. It is said that this will save what seems the paltry sum of £62,000.
No doubt there will be noises made about moving facilities to the Jubilee Library or even to the East Sussex Record Office which is planning new premises on the Falmer campus. But, irrespective of where the archived material ends up, the only way that money will be saved will be by losing the present staff and therefore their years of accumulated expertise in the local & family history fields. The Council needs to be made aware that the History Centre IS the staff.
There are other questions that might be raised. The £8M required saving presumably refers to one year's budget. What kind of impact will be made in the first year from losing staff after redundancy and removal costs are added in?
The History Centre seems to be a popular resource. If you are one of its users it is never too early to let your Councillor know your views.
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