Agenda item

The Museum Director presented a report on the future governance arrangements of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Trust. 

The Committee were reminded that at its meeting on 6^th March 2019 a decision had been made in principle to dissolve the collection and donate it to the Maidstone Museum and had asked that officers drew up a clear set of reasons for the dissolution of the charity that could be submitted to the Charity Commission.

The Committee was advised that one of the conditions of dissolution was that the Charity’s endowment should be spent on furthering the objectives of the Trust and the Museum’s Director suggested that the following projects were pursued:-

·  Conservation of 3 Sikh Colours at a cost of between £5,600-£6,300 plus VAT. 

·  Conservation of French Tricolour at a cost of between £7,500-£8,420 plus VAT.

·  Digital presentation of Kohima and Malaya Oral Histories on website and/or digital kiosks already in the gallery at a cost of approximately £6,000.

·  Any left-over funds would be used to purchase conservation and storage materials for the on-going care of and access to the collection.

In response to questions from the Committee, the Officers advised that:-

·  Officers had been unable to identify a representative from the Regiment

·  In 2009 a project was undertaken to provide oral history cases from the last surviving members of the Regiment and it was hoped that this would come to fruition as part of the Museum’s transformation plans

·  The estimates for the colours were for conservation purposes, not display purposes.  If the artefacts were to be displayed then there would be an additional cost.

·  That the Council was already planning to put in a display of Maidstone as part of its transformation plan

RESOLVED:

1)  That the collections of the QOWKR Museum Trust be transferred in their entirety into the ownership of Maidstone  Museum.

2)  That it approves the reasons for dissolution which are:-

a) that the regiment no longer exists

b) that the collection is managed and maintained by the Maidstone
  Museum staff

  c) that the original purpose of the trust – to preserve and
  publicly exhibit the collection – is redundant, as the work is now

  carried out by the Maidstone Museum

  d)  that the Council has committed to maintain, make publically
  accessible and exhibit items of the collection

3) That, prior to the dissolution of the trust, officers request permission 
  of the Charity Commission to spend the permanent endowment of the
  trust.

4) That the Chairman of the Committee signs the memorandum of
  amendment required by the Scheme to spend the endowment, as set
  out in Appendix A to the report.

5) That, subject to permission being granted and following the
  expenditure of the endowment, the trust is dissolved.

6) That delegated authority be given to the Museum’s Director to take
  all necessary steps to spend the endowment and dissolve the trust in
  accordance with the Trust Scheme dated 12 March 2007 and the
  Charity Commission’s requirements.

7) That a further report be brought to the next meeting of the Committee
  detailing the action taken to spend the permanent endowment and

  dissolve the trust. 

  Voting:  For:  unanimous