Trading Income Generation Feasibility Study December 2015 Epping Forest District Council 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL TRADING INCOME GENERATION FEASIBILITY STUDY DECEMBER 2015 EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL 1 CONTENTS FOREWORD .................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 5 LOCAL CONTEXT ...................................................................................................... 7 VISITOR NUMBER PROJECTIONS .................................................................... 9 SWOT ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SERVICE ............................................... 12 OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCOME GENERATION ................................. 14 Retail .................................................................................................................. 15 Catering ........................................................................................................... 19 Entry Charging ............................................................................................. 21 Venue Hire .................................................................................................... 26 Schools Programme ................................................................................. 28 Object Loans & Loan Boxes ................................................................ 29 Ticketed Events ........................................................................................... 30 Arts Services ................................................................................................. 32 Touring Exhibitions ................................................................................... 35 Image Licensing ........................................................................................... 38 Skills .................................................................................................................... 40 Partnerships ................................................................................................... 41 Partnerships - Broxbourne Council ................................................. 43 Future Development Projects ............................................................ 44 EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL 2 RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................... 46 ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................................ 50 COMPARATOR CASE STUDIES ...................................................................... 51 Museum Of Somerset ............................................................................. 52 The Lightbox ................................................................................................ 55 Chelmsford Museum ............................................................................... 57 Maidstone Museum And Art Gallery ............................................. 60 Gainsborough’s House ............................................................................ 62 Honeywood Museum & Heritage Centre ................................... 65 Russell-Cotes Museum And Art Gallery ...................................... 67 Royston & District Museum & Art Gallery ................................. 69 Canterbury Heritage Museum ............................................................ 71 William Morris Gallery ............................................................................ 74 Higgins Art Gallery And Museum ..................................................... 77 Amersham Museum ................................................................................. 79 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................. 81 APPENDIX I – RETAIL RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................... 82 APPENDIX II – IMAGE LICENSING REPORT .......................................... 89 APPENDIX III – COMMERCIAL BUSINESS MANAGER JD ............. 93 EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL 3 FOREWORD Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) is a local government district northeast of The Museum, Heritage and Culture Service also includes the Community Arts Greater London in Essex. The District Council has recently undertaken a Team currently based at the Hemnall Street offices, which will continue to provide restructure and now comprises of four directorates: Communities, Resources, a wide range of well-regarded initiatives and projects to improve the wellbeing and Governance and Neighbourhoods. As part of this restructure the former Museum quality of life for local residents through arts and cultural activity. A large and Arts services have merged to form Museum, Heritage and Culture, which sit proportion of this work is specially targeted and includes projects for people with, under Community Services and Safety (CS&S) within the Communities directorate. and at risk of dementia, special dance development programmes for girls, boys and As part of the wider Communities Directorate, Community Services & Safety and young people, and community-based arts projects to reduce isolation and build Policy & Grants play a key role in the delivery of frontline services for the Council community sustainability. within local communities. The service areas consist of a wide range of functions that impact significantly on quality of life for individuals and community well being in general, as well as providing mechanisms to address health inequalities and targeted services for residents of all ages and abilities. The Museum, Heritage and Culture service area includes the District Museum (EFDM) at 37-41 Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, which displays and cares for the extensive collections that tell the history of the district. It also includes the many outreach services such as the education service, family events, exhibitions and a range of online resources. It also includes the management of Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon, approximately 7 miles away from EFDM. Lowewood Museum is located within the Lea Valley nature reserve in a fine 18th century building that has undergone internal and external refurbishment and is a welcoming and interesting space. Lowewood Museum is owned by Broxbourne Borough Council (BBC), but is managed by EFMC on the basis of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between EFDC and BBC. The District Museum is currently undergoing a complete redevelopment and expansion programme following investment by the Council and £1.65m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This project will enable the Museum’s reserve collection to be decanted from Langston Road Depot and permanently housed in the new building at 37 Sun Street, which has been purchased from the funding. The main building works are due to be completed in October 2015 and the Museum is programmed to re-open in March 2016. EPPING FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL 4 INTRODUCTION FINANCIAL CONTEXT ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND (ACE) FUNDING The Council’s Museums, Heritage and Culture Service functions are regularly While there has been past success there are many grant streams unavailable to reviewed, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. local authorities and those that are available, such as Arts Council England (ACE), As discretionary services, the need to achieve Value for Money is at the forefront are facing further cuts in the coming financial years. ACE’s Resilience Fund is of service improvement and programming. The Service currently receives core designed to support the long-term sustainability and resilience of museums by funding from the Council of approximately £400,000 per annum. helping them identify alternative funding and income streams to support their work. EFDM was awarded a grant in March 2015 to undertake investigative work around EFDC receives a sum of £10,000 per annum income through the Service Level the potential income generation and fundraising potential of the Museum, Heritage Agreement from BBC. It is seen as highly successful, both in terms of the and Culture Service and specifically to complete the following two studies: development of Lowewood Museum’s programme of exhibitions, activities and events and the expansion of Education Outreach work and is highly regarded by 1) Fundraising: Scoping and Feasibility Study: To explore the viability of Officers and Members of Broxbourne Borough Council. The Service Level establishing a legal vehicle, with the sole purpose of identifying and raising Agreement with Broxbourne Borough Council for provision of museum services revenue and capital funds that are not normally available to local authorities, has been in operation for over 3 years and is now due for review. including attracting individual, corporate and other philanthropic giving. The wider Community Services & Safety functions are very successful in securing a 2) Trading: Feasibility Study and Strategy: To develop a feasibility study wide range of external funding and this adds significant value to outreach services focusing on trading income generation that is supported by research and offered by the Council. This includes funding for small projects from around £500 evidence; and a subsequent strategy that maximises the assets of the museum to much larger projects around £150,000, as well as the Heritage Lottery Fund and other activities of MHC. award of £1.65m for EFDM. Over the last 3 years, external funding secured has reached a total of approximately