Purpose

To approve the acceptance of £49,968 funding from The National Archives – Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant to deliver the ‘Headliners: Revealing Real Life Through the Oldham Chronicle’ project. There is no cash match fund requirement. £30,200 of match-fund-in-kind has been identified from core Oldham Archives resource (including staff time for project admin and event spaces) to support the delivery of this project.

Decision

RESOLVED - That:
Accept the £49,968 National Archives – Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant with match-fund-in kind commitment. This option enables the Council to increase access to the Oldham Chronicle collection held at Oldham Archives and promote local heritage engagement amongst a broader range of residents supporting social cohesion and pride in place.

Reasons for the decision

1. Option 1: Accept the £49,968 National Archives – Archives Revealed Funding Accept the £49,968 National Archives – Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant with match-fund-in kind commitment. This option enables the Council to increase access to the Oldham Chronicle
collection held at Oldham Archives and promote local heritage engagement amongst a broader range of residents supporting social cohesion and pride in place.
Option 2: Decline the Funding
Decline the National Archives funding and not proceed with the Headlines project. This would result in the loss of £49,968 external investment and associated opportunities for residents. It would limit the Council’s ability to provide access to its archival collections, reduce heritage
sector capacity, and miss the opportunity to embed community voice in heritage programming. It would leave the important Oldham Chronicle collection uncatalogued and difficult to access. In addition, this option carries a reputational risk for the Council, in relation to The National Archives.

Alternative options considered

Option 2: Decline the Funding
Decline the National Archives funding and not proceed with the Headlines project. This would result in the loss of £49,968 external investment and associated opportunities for residents. It would limit the Council’s ability to provide access to its archival collections, reduce heritage
sector capacity, and miss the opportunity to embed community voice in heritage programming. It would leave the important Oldham Chronicle collection uncatalogued and difficult to access. In addition, this option carries a reputational risk for the Council, in relation to The National Archives.