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THE SMOULDERING dispute over restructuring at the Natural History Museum
in London burst into flames last Wednesday when Beverley Halstead, the president
of the Geologists’ Association, clashed with Sir Walter Bodmer, chairman
of the museum’s trustees, over staff cuts. Halstead questioned the honesty
of the trustees and Bodmer hit back angrily at Halstead’s ‘complete lack
of understanding of what is going on’.

The museum’s five-year corporate plan (This Week, 28 April) will shake
up curatorial, library and research work. Some staff will lose their jobs
and some areas of work will be closed to concentrate resources on newly
prioritised areas. Continuing criticisms of the plan by many scientists
were backed by the geologists’ section of the BA. The section passed a motion
questioning the museum’s ability ‘to maintain its key role in palaeontological
and mineralogical research and eduction’ if the plan goes ahead.

Halstead said: ‘Assurances that the museum’s collections would be maintained
do not seem to be consistent with the intention to reduce scientific staff
by 50.’ He accused Bodmer, a molecular biologist, of not understanding how
museum staff work. ‘We will maintain the balance of the collection,’ replied
Bodmer. ‘The museum will remain an outstanding centre for research in taxonomy.
It’s a 10 per cent to 15 per cent cut. We may lose some valuable staff but
we must stay within budget. People should stop attacking us and tell the
government we need more money for taxonomy.’

The motion passed by geologists at the BA highlights their concern over
the effect of the corporate plan on the museum’s libraries. ‘There is a
fear the libraries of the museum will no longer fulfil their function,’
it said.

Halstead is pinning hopes for a government U-turn on David Mellor, the
minister who took over responsibility for the museum in last month’s government
reshuffle. Mellor has letters from both Bodmer and Halstead on his desk.