Walsall fury over Staffordshire Hoard
The Staffordshire Hoard was unearthed just yards from the Walsall Council boundary at Barracks Lane last year, with the nearest settlement to the find being Brownhills.
It has since gone on public display in Birmingh am and Stoke-on-Trent – but Walsall is set to miss out on housing any of the treasure.
Local authorities in Birmingham, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth have formed a steering group with a view to purchasing the Hoard, estimated to be worth £3.3 million.
Former Mayor of Walsall Richard Worrall has campaigned for the treasure to be brought to the borough.
He said: "I am just so angry and upset about our representatives' total failure to grasp this once-in-a-lifetime golden opportunity for Brownhills and the entire borough.
"How could they have simply sat back, ignored what stared them in the face and let this chance go by?
"So it's Stoke-on-Trent which will get the tourism, publicity and economic benefits, while Walsall will get nothing, and local people who want to see their heritage will have to go to Birmingham or trek to Stoke-on-Trent. It's appalling. Never before have so many citizens of Walsall been so badly let down by so few."
The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery plans to jointly acquire the Staffordshire Hoard with Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to ensure it stays in the West Midlands.
The treasure comprises more than 1,500 items of superbly-crafted warrior gear in gold and silver.
Councillor Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council said: "I want to completely refute any suggestion that Walsall is not interested in the Staffordshire Hoard. Its discovery is extremely exciting to us and we're actively talking to our local authority colleagues about how we can have a share in this archaeological find.
"Unlike our neighbouring authorities who aim to be acquiring partners of the Hoard, Walsall is not qualified to acquire these items. Our museums neither hold the required archaeological collections policy, or the right environmental conditions, security and capacity, to house a permanent exhibition. But we are determined to ensure that Walsall has a greater voice in the future of the Hoard, and we're looking into how we can benefit from any touring exhibitions which will circulate around the West Midlands.
"Mr Worrall claims that Walsall had no seat at the table when key decisions were taken about its future. The fact is we are actively working with the steering group to see how we can use the Hoard as an opportunity for us to draw attention to the Anglo-Saxon foundations of our town."
Mr Worrall also questioned how Stoke-on-Trent can claim the treasure is "coming home" despite it being more than 30 miles away from where it was unearthed. He said: "Well, good luck to Stoke-on-Trent but, to me, this is a grotesque and scandalous travesty. "Home" is 30 miles south, at Brownhills, and while I give Stoke-on-Trent full marks for seeing their main chance and plundering the gold, where were Walsall Council and the New Art Gallery when all this was decided"
Terry Herbert, from Burntwood, with some of the 1,500 pieces which made up an Anglo-Saxon hoard – valued at £3.28 million. Former Walsall mayor Richard Worrall says that not enough has been done to bring this incredible find to the town.
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