Analysis

Will City of Culture title boost Hull?

Hull hopes to follow in the footsteps of Derry-Londonderry by reaping the economic and social benefits from being designated the UK City of Culture for 2017. By Sharon Heal

Is the Cultural Gifts Scheme working?

Rebecca Atkinson reports on the progress of a government scheme to enable UK taxpayers to donate works of art and other heritage objects to the nation

EBacc leads to fall in arts GCSEs sat

Cultural Learning Alliance report reignites debate over impact of English Baccalaureate, as number of arts GCSEs taken has fallen 14% since 2010. Gareth Harris reports

London bias in culture funding is laid bare

Independent report reveals that residents of London received 10 times more from taxpayer and lottery arts funding than those in the English regions. Geraldine Kendall investigates

Museums still hold Nazi loot

Some museums still house works looted by the Nazis. Patrick Steel asks whether the UK is dragging its feet on spoliation research

Emergency Red List for Syria published

The crisis in Syria has prompted Icom to launch a resource to help prevent the illegal trade of cultural objects. Patrick Steel assesses the effectiveness of the 13 lists

Councils keen to merge services

Merging museum services or moving to trust status as a result of funding cuts creates a stronger strategic approach and reduces bureaucracy

Arts account for 1% of charitable giving

Government's Catalyst Endowment Fund is on course to address problem

Attendance rises mask deeper issues

Although visitor numbers are up at most UK galleries and museums, there is still work to do to attract people from all backgrounds and age groups

Social justice body launches

More than 20 organisations from across the globe that are passionate about museums' social impact sign up to initiative

ACE reviews Croydon Accreditation

Council could be the first local authority to lose status since ACE took on management of the scheme, following Croydon’s decision to sell 24 ceramics

Museums have their work cut out

Poll finds funding cuts have led to a reduction in public access and a rise in the use of volunteers