PAPER B
CHILDREN’S SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE - 6 JULY 2004
THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAND’S RECORD OFFICE
1.1 It is possible that the Records Office will lose some of its
key records, which could lead to its ultimate closure. Members have requested a site visit and
issues paper, to inform their decision-making, in order to prevent this
decline.
2 ACTION REQUIRED BY
THE SELECT COMMITTEE
2.1 To receive the report on
the issues raised and to make recommendations for action.
3 BACKGROUND
3.1 There has been an Isle of Wight Record Office since 1961, but the Isle of Wight County Council funded the first professional staff members and took over the office in 1970. The Record Office has been at its current site in Hillside since 1972. Substantial alterations, including the enlargement of the document storage space and searchroom were carried out in 1984. Since that date, visitor numbers have risen by 50% to 3500 per annum. The Record Office is permitted, licensed and even obliged to either hold records under several Acts of Parliament and also Church of England Synod rulings, and for that storage to meet certain set standards. In addition, the building has a public service function which necessitates it meeting BS3000 (Disability Discrimination Act) requirements.
The
Archive
3.2 The Record Office holds documents of historic interest relating to the Isle of Wight and its inhabitants. These date from the twelfth century up to the present day. All aspects of island life are represented, including the records of churches, and chapels (invaluable for family history), records of local government, businesses, societies, and the papers of local families, both the large estates, and those who have played a key role in local communities. A substantial number of these items have been deposited privately, but an important set of records is held locally, under licence from the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office and the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts). The latter category include the historic records of hospitals, coroners and the courts, together with manorial and tithe records, sources which are heavily used by visitors to the Record Office.
3.3 There is, therefore, a wealth of information and heritage
represented in the records – information which would be irreplaceable, should
the public records move from the Island.
3.4 Currently, a Preservation Needs Assessment is being carried
out, in line with National Preservation Office guidance, to identify the
conservation status of the stock of both the Record Office and the Museums
Service. This is being funded by the
South East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (SEMLAC).
Storage issues
3.5 The storage facility at Hillside is inadequate. There are too many documents to be stored
there – the Record Office’s archive is large and will continue to grow as,
under legislation currently in progress, the Registrars may now transfer their
historic certification service to Record Offices. In addition, the Record Office’s reputation for careful archival
work means that it continues to attract private collections which relate to the
Island and its history.
3.6 Records are held across five locations at present: 26, Hillside; Somerton; The Guildhall; Vectis Stores; and Northwood House. Only 26 Hillside is licensed for the holding of material under authority from the National Archive. The Vectis Store, and Guildhall are all earmarked for use for other purposes, and the former is not suitable for long term storage. All shelf space at 26 Hillside is now occupied.
3.7 All Record Offices are expected to provide environmental conditions, prescribed by the National Archive, in which documents are to be stored. In order to obtain a licence to hold public records, there are specific and strict standards which any UK archive site must meet. None of the Council’s archival storage meets these standards. As Hillside is closest to meeting them, it has been permitted to act as the depository for public records to date.
The problem
now
3.8 The current licence was renewed, conditionally, for three rather than five years, up to September 2003. Current storage conditions failed to meet the recognised standard, and the National Archive’s Archive Inspection Officer stated that “if, by the time of the next inspection no significant improvements had been made, or were in advanced planning stages, then there was a distinct possibility that the Isle of Wight Record Office would lose its status as a place of deposit for public records.” Many significant risks were identified at the last visit, and another is overdue. The same Inspection Officer has also stated that insufficient progress towards creating suitable archive facilities had been made over the past thirty years, by the Council and that the Isle of Wight Council needed to make a firm commitment towards maintaining its role as a place of deposit for the storage of public records. The National Archives would regard a formal commitment, by a motion approved by Council to provide modern archival facilities, complying with the British Standard BS5454:2000, as evidence that the Council was taking the permanent preservation of its historic archives seriously.
3.9 If the existing licence is not renewed, the public records, together with the tithe manorial records, would ultimately have to be removed from the Record Office, and transferred to another place of deposit on the mainland, or to the National Archives in Kew. This would seriously inconvenience those on the island who needed to consult these records. There would be equally serious implications for other records stored within the Record Office by private depositors and institutions, many of whom would be reluctant to continue to have their material cared for in a building, which had lost its licence. Material would then be dispersed back to private hands, with major implications for its continued accessibility by the general public.
3.10 The Council’s Property Services team have given significant and conspicuous support to the ongoing search for improved premises, and continue to do so. Given the competing priorities which Members have had to consider, attempts have been made to find property from within the Council’s existing portfolio, to keep costs down. The sites which have been considered are listed here:
· Northwood House
· Ryde Town Hall
· Ryde, St Thomas’ Church
· Ryde, Presentation Convent
· Frank James Hospital, East Cowes
· Vectis Store, Newport
· Cothey Bottom, Westridge
3.11 Representatives from the National Archive have visited many of these sites and have not endorsed any of them. Any site would have to meet with their environmental and storage standards and none of the above has met their standards, or would be financially viable to convert to a state in which it met their standards. This means that the Record Office licence would still be unlikely to be renewed in any of these buildings. Consequently, Council officers have not pursued these venues as alternatives for the Record Office. In addition, under guidance from the National Archive, relocation to modern facilities worthy of a county archive service was considered to be more economically viable than remedial work on the Hillside building (it needing to be rebuilt).
3.12 It is likely that any alternative building would need to supply approximately 10,000 square metres of space (arranged over storeys, with appropriate loading, if need be). There would need to be adequate access for all visitors (and, in line with corporate transport requirements, to public transport routes). There would have to be specific considerations also, such as the watertightness of the building, its proximity to water or hazardous processes which might cause damage to the archives, and the load bearing of the flooring.
3.13 Another option open to the Council is to
make its commitment to preserving the public records of the Island clear, by
seeking a new, bespoke building and applying for help with funding through the
Heritage Lottery Fund and additional external funding sources. The National Archive, as one of Heritage
Lottery Fund’s consultees, will not advise approval of funding for any building
which does not meet the standards set down in BS5454:2000
4.2 The documents on deposit at the Record Office underpin the identity of the Island and, therefore, underpin the aims of the Cultural Strategy (due to go before Executive 14 July 2004).
4.3 One of the aspirations of the Community Strategy is “to secure the protection of the Island’s heritage and natural environment and raise awareness of their importance to the Island’s communities”. The retention of public records on the Island clearly supports this aspiration, as they record much of the Island’s heritage and history.
4.4 One of the Council’s aspirations in its Corporate Plan is “to protect and develop the Island’s cultural and environmental resources and raise awareness of their importance to the overall well-being of the community. The public records are clearly an important resource in this regard.
4.5 The evaluation of options to develop an Island History Centre, incorporating the Record Office, is one of the actions identified in the Community Development Best Value Improvement Plan.
5.1 The Record Office
maintains an ongoing customer feedback system.
6 FINANCIAL, LEGAL,
CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
6.1 On the advice of Directors, a funding bid was made as part of
the 2004/05 budget setting exercise for funds to:
·
Undertake a
cost-benefit analysis of the most cost-effective delivery of the service in the
long term (including links with other related service areas)
·
Prepare an
outline funding bid to the National Heritage Lottery Fund to deliver the
option.
This bid was not supported.
6.2 Likely building costs are £1300 per square metre for
office/search room facilities and £1000 per square metre for storage. These initial estimates would lead to a
build cost of over £5 million.
6.3 By way of comparison, Oxfordshire Record Office was recently
converted at a cost of £3.4 million, of which £2.25 million came from the
Heritage Lottery Fund. If the Council
were to make a successful bid for funding, Heritage Lottery Fund would be most
likely to fund up to 60% of the costs.
There are alternative funding streams which exist. It would be labour-intensive to pursue
these, but this would be necessary, as the Council is unlikely to be able to
find £1 million or more from its finances.
6.4 Peer authorities who have built new Record Offices have been
able to demonstrate the benefits of shared support services on such sites and,
in addition, these new buildings have offered revenue-generating opportunities
such as cafés and fee-charging
search rooms.
7 OPTIONS FOR MEMBER
CONSIDERATION
Members may find the following options of use in their recommendations for action:
i. Members can take no action, but this option runs the significant risk of resulting in outcomes outlined in paragraphs 1.1 and 3.9 above.
ii. Member can confirm the Council’s commitment to providing appropriate storage for public & other historic records on the Island
iii. Members can undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the most effective way for the Council to meets it commitments to the Service, including linking the Record Office with related service areas.
8 ANNEXES ATTACHED
none
9 BACKGROUND PAPERS
USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT
Report to Directors Group, 2003
Letter from National Archive Inspector, 2003
Information pack on peer authorities’ archive
solutions
Contact Point: Astrid Davies, x203893 e-mail [email protected]
Richard
Smout, x3821
Cllr JILL WAREHAM JOHN METCALFE
Portfolio Holder, Children’s Services Head
of Community Development