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In an open letter published in Scottish political magazine Holyrood, MA policy head Maurice Davies has warned Scottish museums that charging admission would increase public expenditure per visit because of a likely fall in visitor numbers.

Scotland’s museums have been hit harder than those in England, shouldering year one cuts of 4.2% compared to 3% south of the border. Funding for Museums, Galleries Scotland, the body that oversees support and distributes grants for Scottish museums, is yet to be confirmed.

Museums also face uncertainty because the Scottish budget, announced in November, covers just one year, making it difficult for the sector to effectively plan long-term downsizing. Many publicly-funded museums have not ruled out the possibility of bringing back admission charges.

National Galleries Scotland director John Leighton said last month: “We hope to avoid introducing more radical measures such as admission charges for the permanent collections but over the coming weeks, we will need to assess how best to bridge a major funding gap both for the short term and in subsequent years.”

Davies acknowledged that Scottish museums and galleries were in an “unhappy position” following last month’s budget, but said: “Free admission to public museums makes sense in terms of value for money.”

He warned that, based on past experience, visitor numbers could fall by up to 50% when entry charges are reintroduced.

Davies said: “This means that the public subsidy per visit increases, arguably making public expenditure less efficient.”

Click here to read Davies’ letter in full