LANCASTER'S museums are to be brought together under a single 'brand' under a new deal between city and county councils.

The maritime and city museums will join the Judge's Lodgings and the Castle Museum under the partnership of the county council.

It means more co-operation over issues such as ticketing and marketing, and will mean the expertise of the two different museum services is shared.

Coun Cllr Nikki Penney said: "It is going to make a fantastic difference.

You can't describe half of a beautiful view and you can't sell half the history of a city like Lancaster.

"So by making a package where we introduce people to all the museums in Lancaster it can only benefit Lancaster and its visitors.

"The Castle museum, which we hope to have greater access to in the future and the Judge's Lodgings, which has the best Gillow furniture collection in the country, which is part of Lancaster's heritage, can now be marketed alongside Lancaster city museums, which includes a unique maritime museum which can be twinned with Fleetwood."

Cllr Gina Dowding said the scheme had been brought in as a way of combining the expertise of both city and count museums services.

"There is no way that this is the city council relinquishing control," she added: "It's about setting up a proper partnership.

There is absolute commitment from all councillors to the museums service."

The partnership has been agreed in principle, but museum staff are being reminded that they still have time to offer suggestions on how the final agreement will work.