This Saturday, Walsall faces a decision that reaches far beyond the fate of a single building. In just two weeks, the town stands on the brink of losing the Leather Museum — a place that carries more than exhibits; it carries the memory of four centuries of industry, craft, and identity. For fifteen months, residents, campaigners, industry voices and historians have argued that this decision deserves proper scrutiny, open debate, and full transparency.
Those calls have not been answered. What has emerged instead is something deeper and more troubling.
The Walsall Museum Shuffle and the second release, the Ballad of the Leather Museum, are protest songs designed by the Campaign Group with a little AI help.
"They demonstrate both the ineptitude and ridiculous position of a Council that did not, has not and will not listen or take specialist advice" explained campaigner Samuel Davies from Walsall. "The humour is irony. The second, draws out the deep emotional attachment of Walsall people to the Leather trade and it’s history in Walsall and its specialist craftsmanship across the world."
The museum has become the focal point of a wider concern about how decisions are made in Walsall — about whether policies are being followed in spirit as well as in letter, whether meaningful consultation has taken place, and whether the public’s voice still carries weight when it matters most. At the heart of this is a simple question: who is Walsall for?
According to Samuel Davies this is no longer just about heritage. It is about trust in the institutions that govern the town, about whether decisions of this magnitude should be pushed through in the face of overwhelming opposition, and about whether scrutiny is being respected or quietly sidestepped.
"In short, the campaign has several key points" explained Samuel Davies. "Existing policies have been overruled or ignored. Feasibility studies and assessments have been hidden or do not exist. Breach of consultation protocol. What was posed as a £190,000 saving has turned into an investment of £725,000 unnecessary investment, BUT there is currently no funding available at all to refit the space.
Breach of the constitution as a spend of over £500,000 and or affeacting more than 2 wards should be subject to debate and vote at full Council. Three times the leadership has denied this.
The songs represent some of the detail and alot of the feelings of ordinary people who are totally bamboozled by the actions of just 9 members. It makes no sense to us.
We hope your listeners enjoy the upbeat tone of the Museum Shuffle and will join us at 1pm Saturday 28th March at Sister Dora Statue in the middle of Walsall town.
Stand by for the Ballad of the Leather Museum. It’ll make you cry and wish you were there."
On Saturday, residents have one final opportunity to make their position clear. Meet at 1:00pm at the Sister Dora statue on The Bridge, Walsall, with a march to the museum beginning at 1:30pm.
"This is a call not only to those who care about the Museum, but to anyone who believes that Walsall deserves better — better transparency, better accountability, and better leadership.£ said Samuel Davies.
"Bring your voice, your family, and your conviction that the town’s future should not be decided without it. The Leather Museum may be the immediate cause, but it is not the whole story. It is the latest expression of a pattern that many feel has been allowed to take root over decades — a pattern of decisions made without the openness and engagement that a community deserves. This Saturday is the moment to respond. A moment to be present, to be counted, and to be heard. Because in the end, the question facing Walsall is a simple one, and it cannot be avoided: will it stand up, or will it stay silent? Be there. Be seen. Be heard.
We’re not giving up the fight for our past and future Leather craftspeople. Join us.
Thank you."
