Culture vultures!

The cabinet decided last week to go ahead with a merger of four departments, museums, arts and events, leisure and part of the tourism department.

Staff have been assured that the changes will not mean job losses and will free up extra cash for 'frontline' services.

The move was agreed despite dissent from within the cabinet, but was said to be in line with recommendations from the Government's 'best value' inspectors. However, Labour and Liberal Democrat members of the Regeneration review board will demand that the decision is reviewed.

They feel unions have not been properly consulted and believe the council will not be able to find a suitable person to head up the new department.

Labour Cllr Eileen Blamire said she was concerned that the review implemented by the council was not the same as that which the council consulted on.

She added: "We are worried about the idea of dividing cultural services into two sections, a visitors section and a local section.

"We cannot see how some of the services, such as the museums, fit neatly into one or the other."

Cllr Blamire said other concerns include the introduction of another tier of management and the difficulty of finding a suitable person to lead the department.

She accepted that there was room for changes in the cultural services, but did not accept that this could only be done in the way proposed by the cabinet.

As of Wednesday, the council said it had no notification of a call in.

The council's chief executive, Mark Cullinan, said this week that a final decision will fall to the cabinet, even if it is referred back by the review board and the full council.

He said: "The final decision is for the cabinet to take because it is within the existing policy and budget framework of the council.

"It is only if the decision taken by cabinet is not within the existing council policy and budget framework that council could overturn the decision."