Scrutiny meeting hears concerns on Walsall Leather Museum
06/03/2026
Around 40 supporters attended a full council scrutiny meeting on February 26, where campaigner Linda Boys questioned the legal and financial basis for the relocation. She cited a 2024 internal feasibility report estimating that a replacement museum could cost up to £12m and take more than a decade to complete, and called for the council to pause the plans and consider alternatives.
The meeting reportedly became tense as council leader Mike Bird defended the decision, stating it was lawful and in line with council policies, and could not be reversed. Exchanges between councillors and campaigners prompted protests from the public gallery.
Campaigners, including local leather-worker Lauren Broxton, warned the museum might never reopen, and multiple complaints about the conduct of the meeting have since been submitted to the council’s standards board.
The Museums Association is a UK-wide membership organisation that advocates for museums and museum workers, campaigning for ethical, sustainable, and socially engaged practice and promoting fair treatment for all members.
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