Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum Wales), has written to the Welsh government to request clarity about recent proposals to bring the museum’s commercial operations under the control of a new executive agency, Historic Wales, directly controlled by the government.
The body has expressed concern that any such move “could potentially have very serious implications” on its core work and has asked for a meeting with the government’s culture, Welsh language and communications committee.
An Amgueddfa Cymru statement says: “Any proposal for change should be based on clear evidence that it is the optimal solution for Amgueddfa Cymru, and supported by a solid business case and public consultation. It should also maintain and sustain the independence, individual identity, integrity and core purpose of Amgueddfa Cymru.”
The proposals are featured in the Welsh government’s Investing in the Future to Protect the Past report, which outlines options including merging national Welsh heritage organisations to make the sector “more financially resilient and robust”.
The plans are being considered by a working group established by Ken Skates, the National Assembly for Wales’s cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure, which will report back with further recommendations in January.
The Federation of Museums and Galleries of Wales is among those that are critical of the proposals. The organisation has described the report, produced by accountancy firm PwC, as a “missed opportunity to take a holistic approach to how heritage and culture can be best served in Wales”.
The federation’s statement, referring to the differences between Amgueddfa Cymru and Cadw, the Welsh government’s historic environment service, whose commercial services are also in the merger proposals, reads: “These findings have not taken into account the unique nature of Amgueddfa Cymru and all that it provides to the heritage sector in Wales. The authors of this report highlighted the importance of understanding these differences in objectives, responsibilities and terms of reference for service delivery, and explicitly stated that far greater work needs to be done before proceeding with any form of merger.”
The group appointed by Skates will discuss how Historic Wales might be created. It will consider the PwC report alongside recommendations from a stakeholder group chaired by Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Randerson, which has identified options such as improving the commercial skills and joint working of national heritage organisations; creating a charity and an executive agency; and merging existing heritage organisations.
A recent briefing document from the Welsh government reads: “The group may also consider alternative proposals that could potentially achieve the same goals and fully realise the commercial potential of Wales’s heritage bodies and organisations, while protecting their independence, individual identity, integrity and core purpose.”
The Museums Association released a statement about the plans: “These proposals are a clear threat to the future of the national museum as an arms-length public body, and would undermine the organisation’s ability to carry out its core functions as a national museum for Wales. The report’s suggestion that it has based its recommendations on best practice in Scotland and England is highly misleading. No other government in the UK has sought to directly control its national museums, nor to incorporate museums’ activities into a generic heritage organisation.”
The body has expressed concern that any such move “could potentially have very serious implications” on its core work and has asked for a meeting with the government’s culture, Welsh language and communications committee.
An Amgueddfa Cymru statement says: “Any proposal for change should be based on clear evidence that it is the optimal solution for Amgueddfa Cymru, and supported by a solid business case and public consultation. It should also maintain and sustain the independence, individual identity, integrity and core purpose of Amgueddfa Cymru.”
The proposals are featured in the Welsh government’s Investing in the Future to Protect the Past report, which outlines options including merging national Welsh heritage organisations to make the sector “more financially resilient and robust”.
The plans are being considered by a working group established by Ken Skates, the National Assembly for Wales’s cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure, which will report back with further recommendations in January.
The Federation of Museums and Galleries of Wales is among those that are critical of the proposals. The organisation has described the report, produced by accountancy firm PwC, as a “missed opportunity to take a holistic approach to how heritage and culture can be best served in Wales”.
The federation’s statement, referring to the differences between Amgueddfa Cymru and Cadw, the Welsh government’s historic environment service, whose commercial services are also in the merger proposals, reads: “These findings have not taken into account the unique nature of Amgueddfa Cymru and all that it provides to the heritage sector in Wales. The authors of this report highlighted the importance of understanding these differences in objectives, responsibilities and terms of reference for service delivery, and explicitly stated that far greater work needs to be done before proceeding with any form of merger.”
The group appointed by Skates will discuss how Historic Wales might be created. It will consider the PwC report alongside recommendations from a stakeholder group chaired by Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Randerson, which has identified options such as improving the commercial skills and joint working of national heritage organisations; creating a charity and an executive agency; and merging existing heritage organisations.
A recent briefing document from the Welsh government reads: “The group may also consider alternative proposals that could potentially achieve the same goals and fully realise the commercial potential of Wales’s heritage bodies and organisations, while protecting their independence, individual identity, integrity and core purpose.”
The Museums Association released a statement about the plans: “These proposals are a clear threat to the future of the national museum as an arms-length public body, and would undermine the organisation’s ability to carry out its core functions as a national museum for Wales. The report’s suggestion that it has based its recommendations on best practice in Scotland and England is highly misleading. No other government in the UK has sought to directly control its national museums, nor to incorporate museums’ activities into a generic heritage organisation.”