Agenda item

The Executive Member for Culture, Communities and Education and the Director of Regeneration and Culture submitted a report for the Executive’s consideration. The purpose of the report was to set out the future operating arrangements for Teesside Archives and to provide information on the funding required to facilitate them.

The Teesside Archives Service had been established in 1974 and acquired, preserved and made available archives created by the four local authorities it served (Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland) and other archives relating to the local area. 

The storage of archives (excluding the front of house facilities) currently occupied approximately 700 cubic metres of space in Exchange Buildings, a Grade II listed custodian property in central Middlesbrough, owned under the historic ‘custodian’ arrangements by the four local authorities.

The Archives cost £241,800 p.a. to operate, which was funded by the four local authorities, with Middlesbrough’s share equating to £44,400.

According to national standards, an Archives Service should ideally be housed in a building with stable temperate and humidity levels with no windows in storage areas, over one floor. Exchange House fundamentally failed to meet that requirement and the overall suitability of the building for housing an archive had been further compromised, as its condition had deteriorated over time. 

Following an extensive search and costing exercise, a proposal had emerged as the most deliverable short to medium term solution. Information on the proposal, and the cost implications, was detailed at paragraphs 21 to 35 of the submitted report.

OPTIONS

Retaining Teesside Archives within the current building was no longer a viable option. The proposed option should not therefore be measured against the ‘do nothing’ option or current costed arrangements, but against the other alternatives currently available. As a result, the following options had been considered and discounted:

1.      Refurbishing an existing building - No buildings had been identified that were surplus to requirements and had the size and configuration of space that would have met The National Archives accreditation standard. The requirement for significant floor loadings also ruled some potential buildings out. Ultimately, no suitable buildings had been identified.

2.      Converting a larger industrial building - Plans had been considered for constructing appropriate storage within an empty industrial building, but the costs were prohibitive, with some options exceeding the costs of constructing a new purpose built facility.

3.      New build facility - As identified above, the costs of constructing a new archive facility had been identified as prohibitive. The latest designs had been costed in excess of £7m, which would not have been possible to secure for a standalone archive.

4.      Splitting the archive into four - Returning material to the original local authority area had been considered, and would have been achievable at a cost lower than building a single new facility, but not every authority could have accommodated the stock, and the costs of managing and storing four separate archives would have been prohibitive. 

ORDERED

1.      That the transfer of Teesside Archives stock to commercial storage be approved.

2.      That the relocation of Teesside Archives staff to the Dorman Museum be approved.

3.      That the use of up to £325,000 from any subsequent sale of Exchange House be used for relocation of Teesside Archives (subject to confirmation from the three other Custodian authorities).

4.      That the pursuit of external funding, for the longer term development of new archive storage, attached to the Dorman Museum, be approved.

REASON

The proposed relocation to commercial storage and the Dorman Museum would enable the Teesside Archives to retain their accredited status with The National Archives. Remaining in Exchange House would not.