May I wish everyone, including you, Madam Deputy Speaker, a very happy Christmas and new year? I present this petition on behalf of the residents of Walsall and the UK.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the Walsall Leather Museum, built in a nineteenth-century leather factory, is the heart of the town’s heritage and the pride of the community; notes that Walsall Council plans to relocate the museum and lease the site to Walsall College for a peppercorn rent; declares that this plan has been brought forward without consultation with local people; further declares that alternative sites, including within Walsall College’s estate, are more appropriate for SEND provision than the Museum site and so should be considered as alternatives in order to preserve the culture and heritage of the current Museum site; and further declares that these plans amount to removing a cherished community asset against the wishes of the community.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to acknowledge the contentiousness of this proposed transaction, and to encourage Walsall Council and Walsall College to halt the plans to relocate Walsall Leather Museum, to look instead at alternative sites for Walsall College’s SEND provision, to hold a full public consultation on the proposal, to publish detailed information about the plans including alternative options considered, to ensure that the Museum remains open, and to make a commitment to transparency and accountability.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P003153]