THE hearing that could determine the future of world-renowned collections at the Wedgwood Museum has been delayed.

The Barlaston museum went into administration in April last year after being saddled with a £134 million pension-fund deficit following the collapse of chinamaker Wedgwood in 2009.

It was thought the company scheme would be taken over by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), but the PPF could not legally accept the scheme as there is still a surviving solvent organisation connected to it – the Wedgwood Museum.

Lawyers for the museum argue its treasures cannot be sold off to help bridge the shortfall because they are protected by "permanent endowment" status.

But trustees for the Wedgwood Group Pension Plan have to pursue the museum for its assets before the PPF can step in.

A judicial hearing was expected to be held this month to decide whether the museum's pieces were protected – or if they were at risk of being sold off.

That hearing is now not likely to take place until at least May, however, after administrator Begbies Traynor took more time to gather evidence and documentation.

A spokesman for the Caverswall firm said: "The legal team has been collecting opinion and some more research was required.

"That is now back with the legal team and it will be collated over the next two or three weeks and they will then ask for a court date. That's likely to be three or four months after the request, so it's likely to be May now."

The museum is still open to visitors, while Wedgwood and Royal Doulton are trading profitably after being rescued by U.S.-backed WWRD.

Descendants of the Wedgwood family are co-ordinating a campaign to save the 10,000-piece collection, which is made up of ceramics, manuscripts, correspondence and fine art from the 18th century to the present day.

The campaign team says auction house Christie's has valued the collection at £20 million, meaning the PPF would still have to find the bulk of the £134 million shortfall.

And supporters believe it is unfair to hold the museum to account because five out of 7,000 Wedgwood Group pension fund members work for it.

The museum has charitable status, but in October last year the Charity Commission said it did not believe the collections were protected.

Begbies Traynor described the comments as "unhelpful" and said three different legal submissions had come to three different conclusions – making the judicial hearing essential.

Rob Flello, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, said: "I will be urging everyone who cares to write to the minister and to the clerk of the court."

And Chris Johnson, chairman of the Wedgwood Pension Plan, said: "We are going through the assessment with the PPF but until we have the result of this hearing we are really in limbo. The time-scales involved and the expense is mind-boggling."