Banbury Museum & Gallery is at Risk and Needs Your Help

 

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We need your help.

Banbury Museum & Gallery has learned, via a public consultation now underway, that Cherwell District Council is proposing to cease providing core funding for the museum as of the financial year 2027/8.

If this proposal goes ahead, it will mean that the Banbury Museum Trust, the charity that oversees the museum will be forced to consider closing the doors of the museum. Banbury Museum & Gallery welcomes 100,000 visits each year. Without this core funding we could not continue to serve our community, display local collections, offer exhibitions, events, and educational experiences that thousands of people engage with.

Whilst we anticipated that the proposed shake up of local government would bring changes to the way that we work, the immediateness of this proposal and lack of guidance from the Cherwell District Council now leaves us facing an incredibly difficult decision.

The consultation closes in just one week on the Friday 19^th December.

We need to act.

Now, more than ever, we need our supporters, visitors, partners, volunteers, patrons and friends to stand with us and make your voices heard.

 

How You Can Help Today

1. Complete the public consultation: Every individual response counts.

The question the consultation poses is:

‘Support Banbury Museum to transition to a new operating model of sustainable funding sources by 2027/28, reducing its dependency on council grant funding and building a more resilient, community-driven institution – providing a saving of £0.258m in 2027/28.’

We want to say ‘NO’ to this proposal. The saving of £0.258m is our whole budget and without which we cannot open.

Please fill in the consultation form and share why Banbury Museum & Gallery matters to you, your family, your school, your organisation, or your community. You do not have to live in Banbury or the district to be able to comment.

https://cherwell.citizenspace.com/communications-strategy-and-insight/budgetconsultation2026-27/

The consultation ends on Friday 19^th December. There is not much time to submit your support.

 

2. Spread the word

Tell friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours. Post on social media, share our message, and encourage others to submit their consultation responses.

 

3. Contact your elected officials

We need to gather as much support for our case as possible. You can contact your local councillor, our MP Sean Woodcock (sean.woodcock.mp@parliament.uk) and the Chief Executive of Cherwell District Council, Gordon Stewart (chiefexecutive@cherwell-dc.gov.uk) and ask them to support us. 

 

4. Share your stories with us

We’d love to hear your experiences, memories, and what the museum has meant to you. These stories strengthen our case and help us demonstrate the value the museum brings to Banbury and beyond. Use our handles @banburymuseum on Facebook, Instagram and X to tag us in your posts.

 

Why Your Voice Matters

For 85 years, Banbury Museum & Gallery has been a vital local resource, supporting schools, hosting community events, presenting high-quality exhibitions, celebrating Banbury’s history, and providing a welcoming space for everyone.

Losing our funding risks losing:

• Access to museum exhibitions and local heritage collections
• Education learning programmes
• Community focussed events
• A reminiscence programme supporting our local senior community members.
• School holiday activity provision for children.
• A home for the Banbury Historical Society Library
• A vibrant independent museum shop and a place for local artists to showcase work and reach new audiences.
• A cultural hub at the heart of Banbury

The future of the museum is not guaranteed. But together, we can show the Council that Banbury values its museum and wants it protected.

Thank you for standing with us. Your support matters. Banbury matters,

 

With gratitude,
Banbury Museum & Gallery Team