THE People’s Story Museum reopened yesterday after being forced to close due to council spending cuts.
The unique collection, situated in Edinburgh’s Canongate, was forced to shut its doors in September, with it being later announced that it would not open again until at least April next year.
The only working-class history museum in Edinburgh, the People’s Story Museum houses a variety of original objects, images, and archived stories that supply insight into Edinburgh’s working class from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Campaigners from Save The People’s Story Museum gathered yesterday to celebrate its reopening, after months of work to open the doors once more.
In September, the council was projected to overspend by £26m this year, with museums and galleries having brought in less income than was expected.
Also contributing to the overspend was reductions in income generated by the Scott Monument and the Nelson Monument, which reopened in May this year following the Covid pandemic.
This meant that The People’s Story Museum was forced to close, despite the fact that reducing museum access was only expected to save £205,000 – less than 1% of the forecasted budget deficit.
Speaking outside the City Chambers after the council’s Culture Committee in October, campaigner Jim Slaven stated: “We need to build political strength out here, rather than in the institutions in there, because irrespective of the parties we’ve seen over the last 20 and 30 years, they do not represent our working-class interests.
“We are discarded to the margins of the city in every way, and now they’re trying to write us out of history.
“Enough is enough – let’s get active, let’s get organised, let’s get in the belly of the beast.”
Yesterday, the museum was able to celebrate the success of the campaign, which placed significant pressure on councillors and made clear the value of the museum to Edinburgh’s residents and visitors.
In a post on social media, Save The People’s Story Museum posted pictures from the reopening event, with Jim Slaven cutting the ribbon.
Speaking today he said: “The reopening of The People’s Story is a wonderful development for Edinburgh.
“It is the first step to turning our working-class history museum into a world leader.
“Those of us campaigning for the museum’s reopening now need to work with the council to make the necessary improvements in management structure and strategy to guarantee The People’s Story a sustainable and successful future.
“This controversy has shown the power of collective action and inclusive dialogue. Edinburgh Council needs to learn the correct lessons and improve their engagement with communities and partners in advance of these decisions. Not after closures.”
