Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council are currently consulting on proposals to reduce their Museums budget by £150,000. All the proposals include the closure of the Stockport Story Museum in the Market Place and relocating some of its exhibits to places like Stockport Art Gallery.

Stockport should have a dedicated, free to use, town centre Museum which provides an opportunity to learn about the town's history in an exciting and interactive way. The success of the 2017/18 Strawberry Studios exhibition, where 30,000 people visited the Museum, along with the current Bands FC exhibition, are proof that the Museum has an important role to play as part of the positive developments in the Market Place area. With the right exhibits, and an outreach that takes the Museum into the various communities of the town, Stockport Museum can be a huge success and have a positive impact for the town.

This petition calls on Stockport Council to reconsider the proposal to close Stockport Museum and to think innovatively of other opportunities to save money, rather than by continually cutting the budgets of an important element of the town's outreach. A well-run and innovative Stockport Museum is vital to Stockport's wellbeing!