THE future of troubled Horsforth Museum is secure until the dawn of the new millennium -- but financial troubles still loom for the popular community attraction.

Horsforth Museum is currently fighting for survival after being hit by crippling business rates since the start of the year.

Government inspectors decided then that the museum's building should be classed as a business and the museum would have to pay an annual £1,500 business rate. The museum then launched a campaign to fight for its survival.

Thanks to donations from the three city councillors for Horsforth, a £500 grant from the Leisure and Arts Group in Leeds and a forthcoming donation from the town council, the future of the museum is secure -- for the rest of the year at least.

Curator Ron Hartley said: "Those donations are very welcome and will keep us going, but we can't keep going cap in hand every year.

"We have an annual surplus of £750, but that will soon be eaten away into nothing unless we can get the Government to change its mind or find other sources of income."

Mr Hartley said the high bills jeopardised the future of the museum and meant that expansion plans have had to be shelved.

"I don't think we'll close, the people of Horsforth won't let that happen, but you never can tell where money is concerned.

"We are currently saving the £750 surplus to help us raise £10,000 towards turning the derelict stables at the back of the building into an educational resource centre.

"The centre will cost £50,000, the majority of which we hope to get from the lottery, but we need £10,000 match funding. We can't get that if we have to spend our reserves on rates. There's no way we can plan for the future with that cloud over us."

He added that the museum was unable to negotiate a 25-year lease with Leeds City Council for the use of the building and the stables while the financial situation was still uncertain.

Mr Hartley added; "It is ludicrous classing the museum as a business. I maintain we are not a business, we are a community service and an essential one at that.

"We are used by more than1,000 schoolchildren each year. If we were to sit down and work out the cost of our contact with the children, I am confident that at current rates it would work out at something like £1,500 -- but we give it free.

"We do not want money for it -- we are volunteers. It is a free service and it is part of our brief to interest all kids in the history of our township. We consider we are good tenants.

"We have paid for all the carpets and repairs and bars on the windows without turning to the council for it. We think we deserve better.

"I don't blame Leeds City Council, they're only collecting the money. It's the Government who are at fault and I just can't make them see sense."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.