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| John Whittingdale refuses to stop Bradford photo collection move John Whittingdale refuses to stop Bradford photo collection move | |
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| The culture secretary, John Whittingdale, has refused to “micromanage” the trustees of Bradford’s National Media Museum to block the transfer of a part of its valuable photography collection to London. | The culture secretary, John Whittingdale, has refused to “micromanage” the trustees of Bradford’s National Media Museum to block the transfer of a part of its valuable photography collection to London. |
| Speaking on the subject for the first time since plans were announced to relocate more than 400,000 objects from the Bradford museum to a new “international photography resource centre” at the Victoria and Albert museum in Kensington, Whittingdale said the decision was up to the museums involved. | Speaking on the subject for the first time since plans were announced to relocate more than 400,000 objects from the Bradford museum to a new “international photography resource centre” at the Victoria and Albert museum in Kensington, Whittingdale said the decision was up to the museums involved. |
| The announcement in February prompted accusations of “cultural vandalism” from local politicians. Science Museum Group, which owns the National Media Museum, gets about £40m a year in funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. | The announcement in February prompted accusations of “cultural vandalism” from local politicians. Science Museum Group, which owns the National Media Museum, gets about £40m a year in funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. |
| “There is a general principle that too much of our arts and museums go to London and this is one which I have expressed concern about in my previous capacity [as chair of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee],” Whittingdale told the Yorkshire Post. | “There is a general principle that too much of our arts and museums go to London and this is one which I have expressed concern about in my previous capacity [as chair of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee],” Whittingdale told the Yorkshire Post. |
| “It is the case that some of the greatest institutions in the world are in London ... the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate, V&A ... they are enormously beneficial ... I have said to all of them [and] the Arts Council they should try and increase the proportion of grants they give outside of London. | “It is the case that some of the greatest institutions in the world are in London ... the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate, V&A ... they are enormously beneficial ... I have said to all of them [and] the Arts Council they should try and increase the proportion of grants they give outside of London. |
| “And also the national museums that we partner should seek to, wherever possible, support satellites like the National Media Museum in Bradford and the equivalent of the Tate and the equivalent of the National War Museum, almost all of them have links to regional museums and I’m keen there should be more.” | “And also the national museums that we partner should seek to, wherever possible, support satellites like the National Media Museum in Bradford and the equivalent of the Tate and the equivalent of the National War Museum, almost all of them have links to regional museums and I’m keen there should be more.” |
| Whittingdale’s comments came after the former Conservative cabinet minister Eric Pickles described the decision to move the collection as ridiculous and said it had been taken by southern elites. The former communities secretary, who was a councillor in Bradford when the museum opened, urged ministers to “closely examine” the decision. | Whittingdale’s comments came after the former Conservative cabinet minister Eric Pickles described the decision to move the collection as ridiculous and said it had been taken by southern elites. The former communities secretary, who was a councillor in Bradford when the museum opened, urged ministers to “closely examine” the decision. |
| Bradford MP Judith Cummins criticised Whittingdale for referring to the museum as a “satellite”. “My concern all along has been that this is a closure by stealth and downgrading,” she said. | Bradford MP Judith Cummins criticised Whittingdale for referring to the museum as a “satellite”. “My concern all along has been that this is a closure by stealth and downgrading,” she said. |
| “On the entire board that made the decision, only one person is from the north, and they’re from the north-east, not West Yorkshire. It’s a decision that’s made by an elite in London,” said Cummins, who met culture minister Ed Vaizey on Tuesday to urge him to intervene. | “On the entire board that made the decision, only one person is from the north, and they’re from the north-east, not West Yorkshire. It’s a decision that’s made by an elite in London,” said Cummins, who met culture minister Ed Vaizey on Tuesday to urge him to intervene. |
| Most of the items to be moved, which include hundreds of thousands of images, books, periodicals and camera equipment, are part of a Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection that charts the development of photography over 200 years. | Most of the items to be moved, which include hundreds of thousands of images, books, periodicals and camera equipment, are part of a Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection that charts the development of photography over 200 years. |
| The proposal to move the images and change the museum’s name were first mooted in 2013 as part of plans to “re-vision” the National Media Museum away from arts and more towards science. | The proposal to move the images and change the museum’s name were first mooted in 2013 as part of plans to “re-vision” the National Media Museum away from arts and more towards science. |
| The museum will have its name changed in 2017 to reflect this change in focus and has been awarded £7.5m for a revamp. The museum’s name was changed to National Media Museum, from the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television, in 2006. | The museum will have its name changed in 2017 to reflect this change in focus and has been awarded £7.5m for a revamp. The museum’s name was changed to National Media Museum, from the National Museum of Film, Photography and Television, in 2006. |