NORFOLK JOINT MUSEUMS COMMITTEE
19 th March 2004 Item No.
TIME & TIDE BUSINESS PLAN
Report by the Head of Museums & Archaeology
This report sets out the revised business plan for Time & Tide.
1. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
Time & Tide, Museum of Great Yarmouth Life, sited in the Tower Curing
Works, Great Yarmouth, will open to the public in July 2004.
This £4.5 million new museum project, led by Great Yarmouth Preservation
Trust in partnership with the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, will be operated by the NMAS and tell the story of Great Yarmouth over time, celebrating its unique fishing and maritime history. It will display and store maritime and fishing collections from the former Maritime Museum, together with social history, archaeology, fine and decorative art, natural history and ethnography collections from Great Yarmouth Museums and other NMAS sites.
The Joint Museums Committee approved the draft business and marketing plans submitted with the Heritage Lottery Fund Stage 2 application in May
2001. It was agreed that the revenue budget of the former Maritime Museum would be transferred to the new museum and that NPS Property Consultants
Ltd would take responsibility for maintaining it through NMAS’s Building
Maintenance Fund.
The business plan has now been refined. Following detailed market analysis, it forecasts an increase in visitor numbers as compared with the former
Maritime Museum. Together with higher admissions charges to reflect the length and quality of the museum visit this will provide the additional income necessary to cover the increased revenue costs resulting from operating a larger venue for 12 months of the year.

2. LEASE ARRANGEMENTS
Norfolk County Council have agreed to lease the Tower Curing Works site from the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust at an annual rent of £7,500.
Credit cover for the sum of £144,501 to cover rental payments for the period of the lease has been has been approved and included in Norfolk County
Council’s 2004/2005 capital programme.
The Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust has agreed to award Time & Time an annual grant of £7,500.
3. SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
The Marketing Plan forecasts a visitor projection of 25,000 per annum.
However the sensitivity analysis budgets for the worst and best case scenarios, forecasting the net annual position for 15,000, 20,000, 25,000,
30,000 and 35,000 visitors per annum (see Annex 1).
At 25,000 visitors per annum with the proposed forecast expenditure, Time and Tide will achieve a breakeven position.
A sensitivity analysis has also been prepared based on a part-year, opening
July 2004. Savings from staffing and other revenue budgets fully compensate for reduced income from admissions and retail sales as a result of fewer visitors in this initial year.
4. 2004/05 NMAS BUDGET
A revenue budget has been prepared for Time and Tide for the year 2004/05 on the basis of the business plan’s income and expenditure projections for a forecast 25,000 visitors. Prudent budget provision has been made for underachievement in income in 2004/05 and future years if the target visitor numbers are not achieved.
A computerised admission system will be funded from capital slipped from
2003/04 to bring Time and Tide into line with admissions management systems installed at Norwich Castle and Roots of Norfolk at Gressenhall.
5. STAFFING
In order to operate effectively Time and Tide will require additional Front of
House and Support staff compared to the Maritime Museum. The following staffing proposals are funded through income generated from increased numbers of visitors as compared with the former Maritime Museum, together with savings in the Great Yarmouth Museums Office staffing budget brought about by retirement.
Visitor Services and Sites Supervisor – 1 FTE
To be responsible for the Time & Tide site, to oversee and co-ordinate Visitor
Services and site management across all Great Yarmouth Museums’ sites,

and to deputise for the Operations Officer as required.
Administrative and Bookings Assistant – 1 FTE
To be responsible for administration, clerical and finance support at Time and
Tide, and for the administration and organisation of education and group bookings at all Great Yarmouth sites, along with occasional Front of House cover for sickness and annual leave.
Visitor Services Assistants and Front of House Assistants (seasonal) –
2.4 FTE (approx)
Part-time Visitor Services Assistants will be responsible for Front of House, site maintenance, cleaning and education delivery duties April through to
March.
Seasonal Front of House Assistants will be responsible for Front of House and cleaning duties April to October.
6. EXTERNALLY FUNDED POSTS and EXHIBITION BUDGET
The Renaissance in the Regions Business Plan for 2005/06 includes a proposal for a Maritime Curator and Development Officer to be based at Time and Tide. This post will generate and curate exhibitions and provide advice and support to maritime heritage initiatives in the Eastern Region.
The successful ERDF: Objective 2 NMAS Museums and Heritage Package includes the Great Yarmouth Maritime Heritage Initiative Project. Together with matchfunding from Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s annual revenue grant, this will provide interim funding for the Maritime Curator and
Development Officer post by from October 2004 until April 2005 when
Renaissance funding will become available.
The Project will also provide funding for an Exhibitions Assistant and exhibitions and support budgets for Time and Tide, supporting the new museum in attracting new and repeat visitors and achieving its visitor number projections. Objective 2 funding is available for three years from 2004/05. At the end of this period the Exhibitions Assistant post and support budgets will cease unless alternative sources of funding can be found.
7. RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS
(a) Finance None.
Additional income generated from increased visitor numbers as compared with former Maritime Museum will cover additional staffing operating costs.

(b) Property
(c) Staff
Norfolk County Council have agreed to lease the property from Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust and credit cover has been approved to cover rental payments from the
2004/05 NCC capital programme.
NPS Property Consultants Ltd have agreed to maintain the property under the NMAS Service Agreement. The new
Museum will be added to the NCC Asset Register.
Additional staffing costs are accounted for within the business plan budget and funded through increased visitor income and savings from Great Yarmouth Museums Office
Budget as a result of retirement.
None. (d) IT
8. CONCLUSION
The budget for Time & Tide as an integral part of the NMAS has already been reported to members. This report demonstrates that the additional costs for operating this new museum are appropriately budgeted for.
9. RECOMMENDATION
That members note this report.
Originator:
Rachel Kirk
Area Museums Officer for Great Yarmouth

Annex 1
Time & Tide - Projected income and expenditure
EXPENDITURE £
Direct employment costs
Premises related costs
Supplies & services
Total expenditure
INCOME
Admissions (@ 25,000)
Other income and transfer of existing budgets
85,720
36,920
15,900
138,540
73,450
65,090
138,540
Nil
Total income
Over/under-spend
Admissions sensitivity analysis
No of visitors 15,000 20,000
Projected income £39,842 £56,312
25,000
£73,452
30,000
£89,334
35,000
£105,158