Battle to save archive branch ‘could go to judicial review’

By Chris Morris (Iliffe Publishing)

Campaigners have vowed to battle on to save Bury St Edmunds archives branch.

Yesterday, Suffolk County Council (SCC)met to discuss how to balance its budget for the next financial year. The budget included the controversial plan to move both West and East Suffolk archives branches Bury St Edmunds and Lowestoft to The Hold, in Ipswich, to save £140,000 year.

SCC says it has been left with no choice but to close the Bury branch in Raingate Street, after West Suffolk Council (WSC) decided to scrap the Western Way hub project, where the records would have been stored.

But Bury St Edrnunds Town Trust has now lodged a maladministration claim with the county council to further fight the move. The trust said “This is a particularly serious case since, in addition to failing to consult the public on the passible closure of an important public archive related to an outstanding historic town, the council has its proposed action by including it in its budget with effectively no time to resolve the issue, thereby causing great public anger and concern.”

“The town trust has requested that the closure of the archive be put on hold and a working party be established of interested parties to examine and resolve the matter. This has been refused by the county council resulting in the trust’s maladministration claim which, if not properly remedied, may generate an application for judicial review.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Julia Wakelam, vice-chair of West Suffolk Council standards committee, has lodged a motion to be heard at West Suffolk Council’s full council meeting next week. It says: “Recognising the severe financial pressure faced by Suffolk County Council, West Suffolk Council nonetheless expresses its sadness at the county council’s proposal to close the West Suffolk archive and centralise this service to Ipswich. Therefore, [West Suffolk Council] calls upon Suffolk County Council to suspend the implementation of this change until such time as it has worked with all local stakeholders, including West Suffolk Council and Bury St Edmunds Town Council, to explore all alternative options within the county council’s available capital and revenue budgets for keeping access to local historical records within West Suffolk.”

Cllr Wakelam, said: “The proposal will divorce those in the west from easy access to the papers, documents and pictures currently or formerly held in Bury which form an important part of their history. This will particularly impact the young, those with low incomes or with disabilities. One would have expected such a momentous decision to have been taken only after all other options had been explored and the public properly consulted. “

The Bury Society has also handed a petition to the county council with more than 2,500 signatures against the closure.