Petition on Walsall Leather Museum

On 18 December 2025, before the pre-Christmas adjournment debate, I presented a public petition on the Leather Museum: 

“I am presenting this petition 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. 

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge 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.

May I wish everyone, including you, Madam Deputy Speaker, a very happy Christmas and new year?”