National Glass Centre ‘open meeting’ secured after councillor’s resignation threat

At a full council meeting last month, Castle ward councillor Denny Wilson issued an ultimatum to Labour council leader Michael Mordey over the glass centre, which is due to close in July, 2026, with owners the University of Sunderland citing unaffordable repair costs.

Cllr Wilson, who is listed as a Labour councillor on the council’s website, threatened to resign and stand as an independent in a by-election unless the council’s leader agreed to host an “open and honest public debate” about the future of the NGC.

The Castle ward councillor previously penned an open letter to University of Sunderland chiefs questioning repair estimates for the NGC building and referencing the university’s “rush to demolish” and the future of the cleared site, which prompted a response from Sir David Bell, vice-chancellor and chief executive at the university.

In the open letter in response, the vice-chancellor said it was “simply wrong to suggest that the university’s intention to close the NGC building was driven by a desire to ‘sell off the land’” and that the university had “not yet determined what will happen to the NGC site” but that it was “likely that the university will incur the cost of demolishing the building […] at the earliest possible opportunity” before “determining next steps.”

The old Peter Smith Antiques building has previously been announced as a location for replacement provision for the National Glass Centre as “a new hub for glassmaking in the city, offering specialist facilities for artists and the public to create and produce glass art”, however, the proposed hub has been described as a “downgrade” by some.

Sunderland City Council’s main scrutiny committee also recently supported the decision of leading Labour councillors to carry out work to help progress the new glassmaking hub – despite concerns from Save the National Glass Centre campaigners and opposition councillors.

The issue of the National Glass Centre has been discussed several times at full council in recent months, with councillors agreeing in June, 2025, to press university bosses for more details about its decision to close the cultural landmark.

At the latest meeting of full council on September 17, 2025, Cllr Denny Wilson told council leader Cllr Mordey he would resign at the end of September unless the council agreed to host an “open and honest public debate” about the future of the NGC.

Cllr Wilson said he was doing this to “focus the council’s attention on the truth to come out” and added he hoped the meeting would provide a forum for key parties to discuss issues around the NGC, including repair estimates.

Labour council leader Cllr Mordey, responding to Cllr Wilson, said while he regretted the university’s decision to close the NGC, he stressed the council could not compulsory purchase the glass centre to take ownership and that the council would instead, support Sunderland Culture to progress plans for Glassworks Sunderland in Sunniside.

As the resignation deadline passed this week with no changes to the council’s make-up, Cllr Denny Wilson confirmed he did not resign because it was agreed that council leader Michael Mordey would facilitate the meeting requested.

The date, location, layout and format of the meeting is yet to be confirmed although it is expected to take place before Christmas and will be an “open meeting.”

Councillor Phil Tye, chair of Sunderland Labour, said the meeting will be held to allow council leader Cllr Mordey, as the council representative on the university’s board, to “hear the issues and concerns and take them directly to the board”.

It is envisaged that the meeting will “secure an opportunity for a number of the [Save the National Glass Centre] campaign group to also attend and present their views in an open and transparent way”.

Cllr Tye added that there are a “number of groups and organisations now indicating they are interested in either being part of a refreshed glass centre building or a transfer of ownership of the NGC to a charitable trust”.

In this context, the Labour councillor said it was “up to the university to listen to these proposals and the council’s responsibility to see if any of these proposals can be helped and supported”.

Cllr Tye continued: “Like Cllr Wilson, the Labour Group are keen to understand and see the transfer arrangements that were in place when the ownership from the council to the university took place and what if any conditions are set out in relation to the building or its land being transferred back into public ownership.

“What can’t be allowed is for that transfer from the public to take place then the building be demolished and the land value being kept and retained by the university, that would just be plain wrong to the city and its residents.

“At this stage it is purely an exercise to understand more and see what we can do to help, the decision to close the NGC was presented to council and although we were not a decision-maker we understood the rationale given the costs presented to us by the university.

“But it is now a matter of public record these estimates are being called into question by various parties and it is imperative we understand the true costs of remediation works that could save the building from demolition and what the annual operating costs are so that any third party looking to take ownership of the building can understand and produce a business plan.”

In a statement confirming the council’s meeting with campaigners, Cllr Tye said that “ultimately the university has all the cards here”.

“I’m sure as a valued partner in our city they can work with us to look at solutions that are in the best interests of the city and its residents,” he added.

The confirmation of the meeting has been welcomed by members of the Save the National Glass Centre campaign group, who are also expected to meet North East Mayor Kim McGuinness next week.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Councillor Denny Wilson has secured assurances that an open meeting will be held regarding the proposed closure of the National Glass Centre.

“As a result, Cllr Wilson has withdrawn his threat of resignation and will continue to serve as a Sunderland councillor, avoiding the cost and disruption of a by-election.

“The Save the National Glass Centre campaign group is delighted by this news, and encouraged that so many local political figures now appear more open to positively discussing the future of the centre.

“Glassmakers and the wider public have made their views overwhelmingly clear, with over 40,000 signatures collected online and on paper, opposing the university’s plan to demolish a cultural icon.

“We look forward to a date being set for the open meeting and intend to present the petition at the next full council meeting in early November.

“We are also meeting with North East Mayor Kim McGuinness next week, which marks an important new stage in our campaign, and we hope she will be receptive to our ideas and the strong public support behind them.”

The University of Sunderland, in a previous statement, said the university

“has been, and continues to be, completely transparent in its decision-making around the National Glass Centre since the closure was first announced almost three years ago, in January 2023”.

The university said the “total cost of all the recommended remedial work at NGC was, based on independent advice, a minimum £14m, and more likely nearer £45m” and that “the report suggested there may be alternative replacement roofing options which could potentially reduce the total cost by £2.5m – £4.5m.”

However, it was noted that “none of the options outlined in the building survey report were affordable given that the bulk of the university’s income comes from student tuition fees and is spent on its core priority activities of learning, teaching, research, innovation, and knowledge exchange” and that “no individual or organisation has come forward to offer any financial support towards refurbishing the [NGC] building.”

When approached for comment following this week’s news of the council’s open meeting with campaigners, a university spokesman reiterated the NGC was still due to close next year.

The university spokesman said: “The university has been transparent from the outset about its reasons for closing the NGC, a decision that will remain.

“It has also published a wide range of materials relating to the closure.

“No individual or organisation has come forward to offer any financial support towards refurbishing or saving the building at the scale that would be necessary.

“In addition, there has been no credible plan indicating how the running costs of the building would be found, including the hundreds of thousands of pounds provided every year by the university to keep the facility open.

“The NGC will close in July 2026.”