Sir - Has Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) no more imaginative way of solving its annual financial conundrums than closing Cogges Farm Museum, a loved, but perhaps insufficiently, local attraction?
There are three issues involved: the quality of management, possible public apathy and the degree to which such amenities should be subsidised.
On the first, has OCC, done enough to ensure Cogges Museum makes the most of its spectacular site and history? Has it been promoted properly? I think not.
Obviously some years will be better than others, depending on the weather, etc. 2007 has seen a poor summer, which would have been reflected in attendance. Is the, perhaps, atypical attendance figure being misused to justify closure?
It is reported that there is an outcry over the announcement. Well, of course there is, but how many of the 'outraged' have regularly supported this attraction?
I am old enough to remember that Witney lost its railway in the 1960s partly because the walk to the station was just too much for many, perhaps it is the same with the quarter-mile walk from 'downtown' Witney to Cogges.
I believe Cogges deserves a subsidy due to its historical importance - it lies at the centre of an ancient community that pre-dates Witney itself and provides (with the extent of adjoining grassland) a recreational facility, that would gain in importance with the unfortunate demise of Marriotts Close.
David Barnby, Witney
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