Funding crisis forces Britain's first museum for children to close

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Southwark council has decided the Livesey Museum for Children will shut next month and its building will be sold. The council says it cannot afford the £146,000 annual upkeep.

The award-winning museum, opened in 1974, entertains more than 18,000 children a year with interactive exhibits including dancing skeletons and treasure islands.

It was earmarked for closure earlier this year after the Government's financial settlement with Southwark left the local authority £35 million over budget.

Museum supporters have accused councillors of "cultural asset stripping". Bridget Mckenzie, 40, who is leading the campaign to save the Livesey, said: "There is not a single person to whom I've spoken who is not shocked and upset at the prospect of losing a place that they love.

"A lot of people use the museum and there are a lot of people who will feel a tremendous sense of loss following this decision."

Council leader Nick Stanton, said the authority had been left with no choice: "Southwark has received its worst financial settlement from the government in a decade because of flaws in the Government's funding formula, which undercounts the borough's population.

"We have made £29 million of efficiency and back-office savings to reduce the impact of this cut on frontline services, but there is still a £6 million gap.

"The simple fact is that keeping the Livesey museum open would mean closing a leisure centre or two."