THE future of Kendal Museum has been secured after South Lakeland District Council agreed to surrender its 'user rights' to the attraction.

A meeting of South Lakeland District Council's cabinet heard that this would now make it easier for Kendal College, which manages the museum in Station Road, to apply for grants towards its upgrade.

It also means SLDC relinquishes its 'repairing obligations' to the museum which will result in a maintenance saving of around £25,000.

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Kendal College is now set to sign SLDC's 125-year lease for the building from March 2015 but the local authority will continue to pay it a management fee.

Under the management arrangement with SLDC the museum’s collections are in the care of Kendal College until April 2019.

Kendal College’s management includes all the curation, education, marketing, administration and finance relating to the museum’s collections, which are owned by SLDC.

SLDC’s agreement to terminate its historic user rights to occupy the museum building also means the college and the building's owners, the trustess of the Allen Institute, can now have a direct landlord and tenant relationship.

SLDC says it will allow the college to make plans to upgrade and improve the museum including developing it as a ‘teaching museum.’ By giving up its user rights SLDC will also no longer be responsible for repairing the building, but Cabinet agreed that £80,000 from the planned maintenance programme will be transferred towards the college’s improvement plans.

Cllr Chris Hogg, South Lakeland District Council’s portfolio holder for culture, arts and events, said: “This decision allows the college and Kendal Town Council, as trustees of the Allen Institute, to have a direct relationship, which is in the long-term best interests of the museum’s future.

“This also paves the way for the planned upgrades to the museum by Kendal College and secures this attraction, which is so important to Kendal and which has such a long history in the town.

“When this college management arrangement was first suggested many people feared the museum was being ‘closed by stealth’ and people feared for its future. In fact nothing could have been further from the truth - this is an excellent example of partnership working and with an innovative college programme it has a bright future.’’ Council leader Cllr Peter Thornton added: "It's a thoroughly positive way forward and it's leading to a substantial saving to this council as well. In the end, we will have less of a financial contribution."

Kendal's first museum was formed in 1796 by William Todhunter, who exhibited a collection of fossils, plants, minerals, animals and antiques.

In 1835 the Kendal Literary and Scientific Society took over the museum and as the collection grew, the museum had to be rehoused several times.

In the early 1900s money problems forced the sale of some exhibits; the rest were offered to the town.