Brechin and Kirriemuir museums face closure unless they are thrown a community-led lifeline.
Along with Arbroath Community Centre and Edzell’s Inglis Memorial Hall, the buildings are being offloaded by Angus Alive in a desperate bid to stay afloat.
The council’s leisure trust says financial pressures have put its entire future as a going concern at risk.
It will hand back the four properties to council chiefs this year.
There will then be “transition discussions” with interested community groups to run them.
The plan was agreed as part of the authority’s budget as it tries to find £60 million to balance the council’s books in the next three years.
Brechin Town House and Kirrie’s Gateway to the Glens were shut for two years during the pandemic.
There had been fears they would become cultural coronavirus victims after councillors previously slashed opening hours at both museums.
Brechin Independent councillor Jill Scott said the Angus Alive decision to give back the building was a “self-fulfilling prophecy”.
In 2021 as community council chairwoman, she raised fears the pandemic would be used as a “perfect excuse” to close the Town House.
“They have wound it back and back with reduced opening hours and were slow to open after the pandemic when it could have welcomed visitors.
“So I’m annoyed that footfall is the reason given for the decision – it was inevitable this would happen.
“There is an excellent Friends group at the museum and they are really positive about going forward.
“And we have seen with Brechin City Hall how a community-run facility can be a success story.
“But there are so many different factors it dependent on – not least funding – and it is a lot of work for those involved.”
Community call
Former Angus Provost Ronnie Proctor says the Gateway to the Glens future now “hinges entirely on the community stepping up”.
But Kirriemuir councillor Mr Proctor admits his home town is “suffering” after the budget axe fell on the town’s recycling centre.
“Kirriemuir has a very strong heritage offering and already offers volunteer-run attractions like the police museum and Camera Obscura,” he said.
“These places go hand in hand with businesses in the town by bringing people in to Kirrie who then shop here or have something to eat.
“People have said that you can’t have everything in all seven burghs of Angus, but you can if it is done proportionately.
“Brechin and Kirriemuir are suffering out of this.
“We must try to keep these museums alive.”
Community centre
Arbroath Community Centre has been off limits to local organisations since being taken over as a Covid vaccination centre by NHS Tayside at the height of Covid-19.
It was due to be replaced by Arbroath Town Mission last October.
But the Grant Road Mission building was hit by flooding and the move fell through.
Angus Alive continue to let Montrose Town Hall to NHS Tayside as a jag clinic.
But Forfar’s Reid Hall returned to community use last month.
Angus Alive financial crisis
The buildings plan is among a raft of measures in the pipeline to try to secure Angus Alive’s future.
“Although the charity can trade legally as we commence 2023/24, without interventions there is a high risk that Angus Alive would not be able to continue as a going concern,” warned the trust.
The management fee paid to Angus Council has been slashed in recent years to protect the trust’s viability.
But income remains significantly below pre-Covid levels.
Membership income has returned to around 70% of pre-pandemic figures and other revenue averages around 60%.
Conversation