Local authority spending on museums drops by a quarter

The Museums Association has revealed that spending on museums and galleries by local authorities has fallen by 27 per cent in the past decade.

A new report shows that spending fell from £426 million to £311 million between 2009/10 and 2019/20. Across the UK, England saw the biggest drop at 34 per cent in real terms, while Scotland saw spending fall by the least at 23 per cent.

Cuts in funding are having a material impact on the ability of museums to maintain basic levels of service and work with their communities. Museum leaders are particularly concerned about the loss of revenue funding which enables museums to open their doors and pay staff.

Key factors underpinning decision-making on cuts include: pressure on local authorities to fund statutory services; political preferences within the local authority; the ability of the museum to generate income or match-funding; and the profile of the museum within the local authority.

The Museums Association is calling for the government to take a strategic approach to investment in local museums and develop new ways to support revenue funding for local museums.

Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association, said: “This independent research lays bare the debilitating reduction in funding that local museums have suffered over the past 10 years. These museums provide a vital community service, and in some towns and cities they are amongst the few civic spaces that are open and welcoming to all. We know that local authorities are under enormous pressure to provide statutory services, despite sustained cuts to their budgets, which often means that museums lose out.”

Gerald Vernon-Jackson, chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “Museums play an important role in local communities. They bring people together to contribute to our sense of place, share new ideas, support town centre economies and instil a sense of local pride. Councils run more than 350 museums in England and support many more across every region in the country; forming the backbone of our national cultural infrastructure.

“Funding for museums and other cultural services has been affected in recent years by rising pressure on council budgets and growing demand for statutory services like social care, as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Councils need a fair and sustainable funding settlement in the upcoming Spending Review to ensure they can continue to fund these essential community services and deliver against the government’s plans for Levelling Up.”