More than £4m will be re-allocated towards the revamp of the Wirral Transport Museum as Big Heritage CIC hopes to double its size. This was despite concerns being raised by councillors about a lack of published financial accounts since 2022.
The funding had previously been awarded to create a new transport exhibit called the Transport Shed in the Dock Branch Park, a redevelopment of an old train line central to the council’s plans to regenerate Birkenhead. Wirral Council said the Transport Shed plans, which it has spent £456,109.90 on, are now undeliverable by March 2026 and believes Big Heritage as the Transport Museum’s new operators will be able to deliver the project in time.
Big Heritage hopes to establish three more accessible and inclusive attractions in Birkenhead including a new U-Boat museum and “create an offer in Woodside that will be the envy of any town in Merseyside.” The non-profit runs the Western Approaches museum in Liverpool.
The transfer of funding was first reported by the council in 2023 when the local authority revealed its latest investment plan for the town with grant money being reallocated to a similar project in Woodside. This was approved by councillors last year but details were only recently made public about where the funding is going.
At an economy and regeneration committee meeting on July 16, a majority of councillors approved the reallocation of £4.5m towards the museum subject to an agreement being signed with Big Heritage. However, concerns were raised by some councillors about a lack of company accounts published on Companies House.
The last accounts were published in June 2023 and cover the period up to May 31 2022. Companies House currently says the accounts are overdue.
Cllr Jo Bird said the plans would be “a great addition to Birkenhead” and Big Heritage has a “good track record of attractions nearby” but asked about future due diligence and potential risks due to the lack of published information. The report before the committee said Big Heritage had already been through the Council’s financial due diligence process when it was awarded a grant in 2022.
Assistant director for major growth projects David Ball said the issue came up because Big Heritage had changed its date to report on financial matters with HMRC, and Companies House hadn’t updated its websites. He said the accounts were sent to the council the day before the meeting on July 15 and would soon be published.
He added these will be considered as part of “further due diligence that will be done on this as we move towards the preparation of the grant funding agreements.”
Committee vice-chair Cllr Andrew Hodson said he also had concerns but after further information thought “the risk to the council will now be minimum.” He said he has confidence in moving the scheme forward.
However Cllr Bird moved to change the recommendation to councillors that any agreement would be signed unless “significant unmitigated risks (are) revealed by the accounts of Big Heritage CIC after their publication by Companies House” or from financial information up to February 2024.
She said this was a “sensible precaution”, and would “significantly increase our confidence in the proposal,” adding: “Officers have received the accounts yesterday. Members haven’t seen it and I mean obviously wouldn’t have had time to assess the risk.” The amendment was voted down four to seven.
A spokesperson for Big Heritage said Companies House had accepted changes to its financial reporting and the website “should be updated imminently,” adding: “The councillor who raised this issue was absolutely correct to ask for clarification and we were more than happy to provide the additional information requested.”
The decision by councillors means the plans for a transport exhibit in the Dock Branch Park will no longer be going ahead. The park seeks to transform the old railway line that runs through central Birkenhead connecting several proposed major developments in the town.
The scheme has been projected to cost between £13m and £18m with promises it would be up and running by the end of 2024. However the scheme is currently in limbo as Wirral Council surveys a number of bridges before looking to buy any land off Network Rail.
Officers said the council had commissioned consultants with a report later this month followed by more intrusive investigations and a joint valuation of the land. Head of Regeneration Delivery Tom Booty said: “It is progressing and we are still looking to go forward with that acquisition.”
