Bid to resolve city archives problem

A row has rumbled on for years about where the documents should be housed. Their traditional home is in Exhibition Square, next to York Art Gallery, but City of York Council has long believed the facilities there are not good enough to meet national standards for the keeping of public records.

The authority originally proposed to move them to a new multi-million pound centre at the University of York.

But campaigners then fought to keep them in the heart of York, calling for the council to consider improving the current facilities. A consultation showed that users wanted them to remain in the city centre.

One possibility was that the archives could find a new home in York Minster Library, but this was ruled out last year by the Dean and Chapter, acting on the recommendations of an advisory group led by the former Archbishop of York, Lord Habgood.

The Audit Commission said in a Culture Services inspection report last November that opportunities for the council to improve the service had been stalled for more than three years, because of objections by existing users and a "lack of clear leadership and decision-making by the council".

It said the archives environment was neither adequate for the preservation of documents nor for reference or study.

Now the council's leisure and heritage scrutiny board is being asked if it wishes to go ahead with an official scrutiny of the archives, and also to lay down the remit and scope of such an investigation.

A report to the board's meeting next Monday said such an inquiry would not overlap with any other work within the authority.

It said Coun Keith Orrell, executive member for leisure and heritage, had told officers there was considerable strength of feeling on the issue, and it had not been possible to build a consensus on the way forward.

"He believes that this scrutiny will allow members to frame clear principles for the kind of service that they wish to see in the future."

Updated: 10:07 Friday, April 08, 2005