The Gwent Archives Joint Committee is scheduled to meet on 26 September 2025 to discuss a range of topics, including the review and approval of updated policies, a report on the activity of Gwent Archives, proposed changes to opening hours, and a request for reserve funding for repairs to the Building Management System. The meeting will also cover the monitoring of the Gwent Archives Risk Register and a report on the legal requirement for a quorum to be present.

Proposed Changes to Opening Hours

The committee will consider the results of a public consultation on proposed new opening hours for Gwent Archives. The consultation, which took place between 13 May and 11 June, sought feedback on several changes, including Monday to Thursday opening, the removal of the lunchtime closure, and the introduction of two 'Collections Weeks' to allow staff to focus on collections care and cataloguing work.

The report pack includes the following proposals:

• Changing the opening hours to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. According to the report pack, the most popular days were Tuesday (84 votes), Wednesday (100 votes) and Thursday (104 votes). Friday was the least popular with 60 votes.
• Removing the lunchtime closure. According to the report pack, 94% of respondents agreed that Gwent Archives should not close at lunchtime.
• Introducing 'Collections Weeks' in January and early September.
• A 6-month pilot period to test the feasibility of opening on one Saturday per month.

The report pack notes that there are financial implications to opening on a Saturday, of between £900 and £1060 per Saturday, and that there is a risk that the Saturdays may not be well used.

Request for Reserve Funding

The committee will consider a request for £13,411.50 from the Gwent Archives reserves to fund essential repairs to the Building Management System (BMS) controllers and software at the General Offices. The General Offices are located on Steelworks Road, Ebbw Vale. The Building Management System controls the environmental conditions at Gwent Archives.

According to the report pack, significant issues have been reported to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council (BGCBC) with the BMS over the past few years, and crisis point was reached in June and July when some of the cataloguing rooms reached upwards of 28 degrees (30 degrees in the Conservation studio). The report pack states that the issue is that the BMS controllers and software that monitor and control the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system¹ in the archive rooms, which keep the environmental conditions stable within set parameters, has failed.

The report pack notes that BGCBC has agreed to contribute half of the costs.

Review of the Collections Care and Conservation Policy

The committee will review the Collections Care and Conservation Policy. The policy was last reviewed and approved by the committee in September 2022. The report pack notes that the policy has been updated to reflect new staffing structures and responsibilities, as well as small changes in working practices and terminology.

According to the report pack, the aims of the policy have been updated to clarify some points, to add an aim to reduce energy whilst still protecting the collections, and to clarify the policy scope on physical not digital collections. The report pack also notes that the section on Environment was updated following the introduction of realtime temperature and humidity data loggers, which has reduced reliance on the Building Management System, and the decision to turn off the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system when conditions allow to help reduce energy use.

The current Collections Care and Conservation Policy can be viewed at the provided link.

Gwent Archives Work Experience Placement Policy

The committee will consider a report on the Gwent Archives Work Experience Placement Policy. According to the report pack, the Community Engagement Archivist identified a gap in Gwent Archives policies and developed a Work Experience Placement Policy to help define work experience placements within the service.

The resulting policy outlines work experience placements as distinct from Gwent Archives volunteers, details the intended aims for placements, and lists the key roles and responsibilities of placements and Gwent Archives.

Report on the activity of Gwent Archives

The committee will receive a report on the activity of Gwent Archives from 1 June 2025 to 31 August 2025. The report includes information on staff, work experience, volunteers, access, continuing professional development, work within the sector, governance, finance, administration, building, access, community engagement activities and collections management.

The report pack notes that Neta Whitehead, Records, Data and Information Manager, retired on 31 July after 37 years at Gwent Archives. The report pack also notes that Thomas Tolhurst joined the team in July.

The report pack also notes that a student from the Aberystwyth University Masters in Archives and Records Management course completed their work to catalogue a collection of the Gwent Federation of Women's Institutes (D6715) as part of their assessment.

Monitoring the Gwent Archives Risk Register

The committee will consider a report recommending the establishment of a sub-group of Gwent Archives Joint Committee members to meet quarterly to monitor the risks with Lisa Snook, County Archivist. The report pack notes that the Gwent Archives Risk Register is reviewed at least quarterly by the Gwent Archives Leadership Team, or more frequently if required, and that it is presented to the Gwent Archives Joint Committee each June as an appendix to the Report on the Activity of Gwent Archives.