Midlothian councillors have agreed to reduce support for the Newton-grange museum from £105,856 to £27,000.

The council has urged the museum to use the next six months to put together a financial package to secure its own future and continue with its bid to gain national status.

Over the past 13 years, the council has given the Scottish Mining Museum more than £1.7 million.

Financial support

Provost Adam Mont-gomery said he met with the museum director Fergus Waters and newly-appointed chairman and former First Minister Henry McLeish last month to outline the council's position.

He told a recent council budget meeting: "They were not ecstatic but prepared to accept it is a way forward."

The Provost added that Mr McLeish was already lobbying Historic Scotland and the Lottery for financial support and the museum had joined forces with the Scottish Maritime Museum in its efforts.

Fight for every penny

"He has been speaking to the Culture Minister and various people at the Scottish Executive.

"He did ask for some breathing space which is what we have done.

"If it was an art gallery in Princes Street it would probably have got millions (from the Government] but a mining museum in Newtongrange has got to fight for every penny."

Hard decisions

Council Leader Derek Milligan (Lab) added: "Quite simply this council has major funding problems.

"It is a national mining museum and should be funding by the Scottish Government.

"The reason we brought this report before the council now is because there are hard decisions to be made (by the end of the financial year] and we need to give groups and organisations as much time as we can so we don't arrive in late February giving groups four weeks notice to find massive sums."

For the full story, see The Advertiser, January 2, 2009