"Attorney General Upholds Wedgwood Ruling"

The Museums Journal reports:

"The attorney general announced this morning that he would uphold a high court judgement that the Wedgwood Museum’s collections could be sold to meet a £135m pension deficit inherited from the Wedgwood Pension Plan Trustee Limited, which went into administration in 2009.

A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said: "After careful consideration of the judgment in this case and after taking advice from specialist senior counsel, the attorney has decided not to appeal.

“The trial judge gave the issues before him careful consideration and the attorney does not believe his interpretation of the relevant law could be challenged. He has also taken account of the representations made by Alan Wedgwood."

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been in talks with the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Art Fund, and Victoria and Albert Museum over ways to save the Wedgwood collection, estimated to be worth around £18m.

A DCMS spokesman said that although arts minister Ed Vaizey was determined to save the collection, the government was not in a position to pledge money to the museum. The next step, he said, was to have the collection valued and to continue to work towards a solution."

The Campaign will continue - please continue to lobby and join our supporters roll.

Court Case Transcript

The Transcript is now available. We still await to see if the Attorney-General's will appeal.

Wedgwood Museum - Court Case Transcript

Campaign Update

Since the initial Court decision was announced just before Christmas there has been a huge amount of positive and constructive coverage and media interest in the plight of the Museum. Supporters have continued to lobby their MPs and our Supporters in Parliament have sponsored an Early Day Motion  - please ask your MP to sign it - and Lord Flight of Worcester has put down an Oral Question for the Minister in the House of Lords.

There has been wide coverage of John Caudwell’s incredibly generous offer to “Save the Collection” – he is a native of the Potteries and recognises the importance of the collection for Staffordshire and beyond. Any future offer would be conditional, of course and he has stated that he regards himself as a “lender of last resort” – a safety-net should all other efforts fail.

As reported in The Daily Telegraph on 11^th January,  the campaign still awaits the decision of the Attorney-General as to whether he will seek leave to appeal – until this is determined, any necessary fundraising appeal cannot be launched. It remains the objective of the campaign to seek a legal or political solution that will safeguard the collection within an inalienable trust for the nation.

Thank you for your ongoing support – please continue to lobby your MP and Ministers.

Media Coverage round up:

· "Wedgwood Family fight for their Family History" Daily Telegraph, (11th January 2012)

· Letter from Dr Alan Wedgwood, Dr Janet Wedgwood and family, Daily Telegraph, (10th January 2012)

· Victoria Lambert article "John Caudwell: 'I can't stand by and see our Wedgwood heritage shattered'"in The Daily Telegraph (24th December 2011)

· Alison Wedgwood's letter to The Staffordshire Sentinel "Wedgwood Family React to news about Museum Collection" (23rd December 2011)

· BBC Midlands Today segment on the Court Case - watch the clip on our YouTube Channel. (19th December 2011).

In Parliament: House of Lords - Oral Question.

Lord Flight of Worcester has tabled an Oral Question in the Lords for 14th February 2012. The question reads: 

“To ask Her Majesty’s Government if they intend to legislate in the light of the Wedgwood Museum case to prevent “last man standing” rule applying to the assets of charitable museums or other charities.”

Lord Flight wishes to press the point that when the legislation establishing the PPF was passed, there was no intent by Parliament that the “last man standing” rule would be interpreted to result in seizing the Collection of a Museum established as a charity.

We will report the Hansard transcript when available.

Video - BBC Midlands Today 19th December

The Decision - Collection can be dispersed and sold....

The Campaign to Save the Wedgwood Museum received the shocking news that the UNESCO recognised archive of international importance is not held in trust and can be dispersed and sold to meet wholly disproportionate £135m Pension Fund liabilities.

Read the Press release from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) lawyers here. Stoke-upon-Trent MP Hon. Dr Tristram Hunt MP is meeting with Government Ministers on December 20th to discuss the plight of the Museum.

The Battle continues - continued political lobbying is essential: write to your MP to drive home how important this unique collection is to you.

Campaign leader Alison Wedgwood: "We will begin a fund raising campaign in the new year, asking the government for urgent support, and seeking support from the Art Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and as many generous philanthropists as we can cajole. This collection is not leaving Staffordshire without a fight!"


Write to you MP, Join our Supporters roll to declare your support and to be kept up to date with the Campaign: help to Save Wedgwood for the Nation.

Thank you for your support.

 

Decision expected - 19th December

The High Court have informed the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the judgement will be revealed on Monday 19th December. 


Check the news Blog and follow us on Twitter to hear the news.

Decision still awaited!

The Court decision was initially expected at the end of October - to date it is still awaited. We will update the page and all supporters as soon as a decision is known.

Court Decision expected at the end of October

The three-day Court Hearing before His Honour Judge Purle ended on Thursday 15^th September. A decision is expected at the end of October.

Reports on the first two days were carried by local Paper the Staffordshire Sentinel:

·  Day One: Court Hears: “Wedgwood… collection ‘must be sold’ to plug £134m pension black hole”
· Day Two: Court Hears: “Wedgwood Art is for Public Benefit”

BBC Midlands Today 13/9

http://www.youtube.com/user/savewedgwood

Museum Court Case – this week.

A Judge will decide this week whether the contents of the UNESCO recognised, award winning Wedgwood Museum will have to be broken up and sold. The Case will be heard from 13^th-15^th September at the Birmingham Civil Justice Centre, (Court 6), Birmingham before chancery circuit judge, His Honour Judge Purle QC.

The Public Gallery will be open.

Visit the Campaign website to find out more about the campaign, and the Museum collection it is working to save. 

Wedgwood Museum Trust - Court date set.

The Wedgwood Museum is still fully open pending direction from a Judge to the Administrator to determine whether the prize winning collection can be sold off to pay the pension creditors. The date for the case to be heard in Court has been confirmed as 13^th September 2011 – the case may last up to three days.

More details will be posted, when known.

The work that supporters are doing to raise awareness and lobby MPs and other Parliamentarians has been tremendous – if you have not already done so access the lobbying resources and write to your MP.

Thank you.