Society steps up fight to keep West Suffolk archives in town
From the Bury Free Press edition dated January 19, 2024
Around 80 will attend a meeting next week to further a campaign to keep West Suffolk Archives in Bury St Edmunds. The Bury Society has arranged the invite-only meeting at the town’s Guildhall, on Tuesday 23 January, which will be attended by influential members from a range of disciplines, including history, archiving, archaeology and education. It will also include members of a number of town groups including The Bury Trust and the Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides.



The Bury Society launched its Hands off our Archives alongside the Bury Free Press’ Save Our History Campaign’, last week, with more than 100 people protesting outside the facility on Raingate Street. On Tuesday, The Bury Society will also be highlighting a Suffolk County Council cabinet report from February 2023 in which it states there is ‘no additional space’ at the public search room at The Hold in Ipswich for the full Bury local studies collection and that moving the West Suffolk branch to The Hold would be ‘the least desirable option’ for its future.
Martyn Taylor, chair of The Bury Society, said: “The show of support to keep the archives in Bury has been enormous. The news that there were plans to close the West Suffolk branch and move the archives to Ipswich by the end of the year came as an absolute bombshell and we haven ‘t had much time before a final decision is made on February 15. Quite simply our heritage belongs to the town and we remain hopeful that Suffolk County Council will change its mind. Next week we will be considering our next steps including launching a petition and looking into possible alternatives in the town to house the archives, where they belong.”
A report, called Improvements to The West Suffolk Archives Branch, drawn up by Suffolk County Council’s economic strategy officer, in February 2023, questions capacity at The Hold for the full Bury archives and states that moving them to Ipswich would reduce the county’s accrual capacity to eight years, ‘well below the 20 year minim um standard’ specified by the National Archive and agreed with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which helped fund The Hold project.
Suffolk County Council says it has been left with ‘no choice’ but to review its options for the delivery of archives services, amid budget pressures and following the axing of the Western Way hub. Regarding capacity at The Hold, it said: “We review the size of our archive holdings on an annual basis and keep records of the quantity of new material received each year. We have therefore been able to calculate that there would be room at The Hold for the material currently held at Bury and Lowestoft Archives.
“Future accrual capacity will be explored as part or detailed planning work following the decision at the county council meeting of February 15. We have consulted on our proposals with The National Archives and The National Lottery Fund and will be developing a long-term plan for future accruals in line their advice and any relevant sector standards.”
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