Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee will convene on Tuesday 13 June, and will receive an update on the position in relation to the Galloway Viking Hoard.
Members will be advised that a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs (Fiona Hyslop) is in the process of being arranged, and asked to agree the key considerations for our Council ahead of this meeting. Members will also be asked to agree who should attend this meeting on behalf of the Council.
The Communities Committee has been kept well informed of the progress of discussions around the Hoard, and was informed in March this year that a decision of the destination of the Hoard would be imminent. Since March, a decision in favour of National Museums of Scotland (NMS) to be the keeper of the Hoard has been made, and a subsequent appeal from our Council also found that NMS should be the organisation who holds the treasure.
Correspondence between NMS and our Council has been frequent and has led to NMS offering the Hoard to our Council for a continuous Summer period in the future, with parts of the Hoard coming on longer term loans after the entire Hoard has visited our region. Council officers are seeking clarity on the duration of this ‘longer period’, and such issues could be determined at the meeting with Fiona Hyslop and other key stakeholders. Our Council would be responsible for meeting the transportation costs to pick up and then take away the Hoard – costs that are yet to be determined.
Members will be asked to agree that our Council’s primary interest should be to seek access to the Hoard to maximise educational, cultural and economic impact within Dumfries and Galloway. A further report will be received by Members, subject to approval, at the next meeting of the Communities Committee to examine the finer detail on how and when the Hoard could be potentially available for display within our facilities.
Chairman of the Communities Committee, Councillor Andy Ferguson said ahead of the meeting;
“I welcome this report and would hope that my fellow Members agree the recommendations contained within. Whilst it is disappointing that the Hoard will not be coming home permanently, it is great to see that NMS are as committed to agreeing a partnership agreement as we are. The meeting with Fiona Hyslop MSP will hopefully provide the forum for all parties to air their views and agree a satisfactory way forward for all concerned. As Chair of this committee I look forward to being part of those discussions and will do my upmost to ensure our Council is fairly treated and represented through future discussions.”
The Communities Committee will convene on Tuesday 13 June at 10.30am.
