MA responds to plans to wind up the MLA

Patrick Steel, 26.07.2010
MA will fight for future of programmes and recognition of museums within DCMS
Following the government’s announcement today that the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is to be wound up by April 2012, the MA is fighting to ensure that museums remain an integral part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), while programmes such as Renaissance and Accreditation will survive.

Mark Taylor, the MA’s director, said: “It is important that we have a strategic body with museums as one of its principal functions, rather than a minor department in another quango.

“We need to know before the Comprehensive Spending Review where the strategic museum function is going to be within the DCMS.

“The challenge now is to retain as much as possible from the good that the MLA does and make sure that museums have their rightful place in the DCMS structure.”

Taylor is meeting with Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, on Tuesday 3 August to discuss the government’s plans.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7280.aspx

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Stephen, Museums Team Manager, Hampshire Museums (MA Member)
31.07.2010, 12:26
The Coalition public sector funding cuts were always going to have a big impact on museum funding, and the slow winding up of MLA (by April 2012) could have been a lot worse. Some quangos were dissolved in days not years! It is worth noting that Renaissance is still around, for the moment, which can only be good news. What is perhaps more worrying are the cuts at local government level which will impact many more museums. Consolidation of the culture quangos needs to be followed by some serious thinking about consolidating the museum sector. The sector has numerous museums very close to each other, funded to provided the same services i.e. with learning, collections and visitor services teams. There will need to be a major change in service delivery for us to survive. Interesting times indeed!

And finally MLA's remit is for England - read their vision statement.
Anonymous (MA Member, MJ Subscriber, MP Subscriber)
29.07.2010, 13:32
How can MLA (British) become part of ACE (English)? What happens to Scotland.and other parts of Brotain who have their owb Arts Councils?
Anonymous (MA Member)
28.07.2010, 17:46
At a time of Local Authority cuts in culture budgets, councils and cllrs will be looking at the national government for a strategic lead in policy and focus - a take over of the MLA sector by the 'arts' can only send one message to senior officers and members - museums are not a government priority. It is also apparent that the lack of museum representation (and MAs) on the new Culture Forum will only further this feeling that museums are the poor cousin in the culture world.