West Devon Borough Council Full Discretionary Grant Restored - Tavistock Museum

By: Roderick Martin
Added: 25 September 2017

The Tavistock Museum Charitable Trust is delighted to learn that on appeal the West Devon Borough Council has restored the museum's full 20% discretionary grant for the financial year 2017-2018.  Had this not happened the museum, a free-entry town museum run entirely by volunteers, would have had to pay this year nearly £600 in rates on its premises at Court Gate, Tavistock.    

Roderick Martin, manager of the museum, stated ''This is a very welcome outcome as our museum has to be run within a very tight budget.  It was a bit upsetting earlier this year to find our grant had been reduced and some of our income would be needed to pay rates especially as our museum makes a very positive contribution to the local economy and promotes local tourism.

"Every day our stewards provide information to visitors and hand-out tourism leaflets.  Hopefully, restoration of the full grant to us this year by West Devon Borough Council will prove a landmark decision and serve as a future policy guide to district councils throughout Devon.  Museums and heritage attractions not only conserve our local heritage but are now often in the front-line of local tourism, providing a invaluable stand-in tourist information service at a time when local authorities can no longer afford to do so."

The Trust is most grateful to our Tavistock WDBC councillors especially Debo Sellis and Jeff Moody for their help in getting the grant restored.  Also to Geoffrey Cox, our MP, for his interest and his support.