Planned restructuring of the Tunbridge Wells museum's staff and opening hours will save around £50,000 per year, according to the council.

Part of the proposal for the venue in Civic Way states it should be closed on Sundays and Mondays for most of the year - with the possibility of different opening hours during peak tourist periods.

At a cabinet meeting held earlier this month, councillors agreed that the structure of the museum had changed over time, and no longer delivers an efficient service to customers.

Staff currently spend around 50% of their time delivering skilled roles including collections management and visitor services, and the other 50% delivering generic tasks such as covering the front desk and helping prepare exhibitions.

The council stated this is no longer considered an efficient use of the skilled staff and means there is not always a properly trained member of customer service at the reception.

The restructuring proposes that in the near future specialist staff should be utilised in their designated roles and front-of-house staff should be employed to open and staff the museum.

Jo Wiltshire, museum manager, said at the meeting: "We currently have seven staff working at the museum at the moment.

"We have a very difficult time keeping up with our own work, so stretching ourselves across different posts is not good for the customers.

"We are looking at employing a graduate who will join us for five days a week in the summer holidays."

The museum's current opening hours match those of the library, but visitor numbers and shop income are markedly and consistently low on Sundays.

Research on other museums in Kent and the South East shows that most close on a Monday.

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