Press Release: Petition on Leather Museum in the House of Commons

PRESS INFORMATION – 7 JANUARY 2026– For immediate Release

RT HON VALERIE VAZ MP PRESENTS PETITION ON LEATHER MUSEUM IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Rt Hon Valerie Vaz MP said:

“Just before the House rose for Christmas on 18 December 2025, I presented a petition in Parliament on behalf of the residents in Walsall and the UK.”

“This is a petition about the Walsall Leather Museum which was built in a nineteenth century leather factory. It is the heart of the town’s heritage and the pride of the community.”

“The petition states that Walsall Council plans to relocate the museum and lease the site to Walsall College for a peppercorn rent. This plan has been brought forward without consultation with local people. Alternative sites, including within Walsall College’s estate, are more appropriate for SEND provision than the Museum site and should be considered as alternatives in order to preserve the culture and heritage of the current Museum site.”

“These plans amount to removing a cherished community asset against the wishes of the community.”

“I urged the Government to acknowledge the contentiousness of the proposed transaction, and to encourage Walsall College and Walsall Council  to halt the plans to relocate Walsall Leather Museum, to look instead at alternative sites for Walsall College’s SEND provision, to hold a full public consultation on the proposal, to publish detailed information about the plans including alternative options, to ensure that the Museum remains open, and to make a commitment to transparency and accountability.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editor:

1. The petition has been sent to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, responsible for the subject matter of the petition. (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-12-18/debates/49A3C821-0812-41FA-998B-8CF58E0BD618/Petition )
2. The petition would normally receive a response (known as an ‘observation’) from the department within two months of it being presented, but this might take a bit longer if there has been a recess.  The response is printed in Hansard.