Councils should think twice before slashing museum budgets, warned Museums Association (MA) director Mark Taylor, as several local authorities moved to close museums and lay off staff.
"A lot of cutbacks are being made as people are fearful about the future," said Taylor. "But museum visitor numbers are more than holding up, showing that museums are needed more than ever in times of difficulty."
Earlier this year, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council told staff at Broadfield House Glass Museum that it would close in March 2010 and that they would no longer have jobs, as the council planned to make £120,000 in savings from the museum service in 2010-11.
Following a public outcry, the council is now planning a study into the feasibility of moving the museum's internationally renowned collection to the nearby Red House Glass Cone and redeploying its seven staff members.
A council spokesman said that if the study concluded that the move was not feasible, the council would need to decide whether to make the savings from other areas of its budget. Outline recommendations from the study will be made in six to nine months, he added.
Councillors in Wirral approved the closure of the Wirral Museum in Birkenhead town hall and the Wirral Transport Museum last month as part of £3.1m in revenue cuts across the council.
A spokesman said the council was in talks that might lead to the transport museum continuing to be run as a charitable trust.
The collections from Wirral Museum will continue to be owned by Wirral Museums Service, and the council is looking into displaying them at other locations.
Sussex Archaeological Society has made four posts redundant - senior museums officer, marketing officer, Lewes properties manager and catering manager at Michelham Priory - in a bid to save £100,000 a year.
Letchworth Museum, which was to close in April, has been given a stay of execution by North Hertfordshire District Council until April 2011.
The council has announced a £3.5m redevelopment of the town hall in Hitchin to rehouse the museum's collections alongside those from Hitchin Museum and material from the Burymead Resource Centre.
"A lot of cutbacks are being made as people are fearful about the future," said Taylor. "But museum visitor numbers are more than holding up, showing that museums are needed more than ever in times of difficulty."
Earlier this year, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council told staff at Broadfield House Glass Museum that it would close in March 2010 and that they would no longer have jobs, as the council planned to make £120,000 in savings from the museum service in 2010-11.
Following a public outcry, the council is now planning a study into the feasibility of moving the museum's internationally renowned collection to the nearby Red House Glass Cone and redeploying its seven staff members.
A council spokesman said that if the study concluded that the move was not feasible, the council would need to decide whether to make the savings from other areas of its budget. Outline recommendations from the study will be made in six to nine months, he added.
Councillors in Wirral approved the closure of the Wirral Museum in Birkenhead town hall and the Wirral Transport Museum last month as part of £3.1m in revenue cuts across the council.
A spokesman said the council was in talks that might lead to the transport museum continuing to be run as a charitable trust.
The collections from Wirral Museum will continue to be owned by Wirral Museums Service, and the council is looking into displaying them at other locations.
Sussex Archaeological Society has made four posts redundant - senior museums officer, marketing officer, Lewes properties manager and catering manager at Michelham Priory - in a bid to save £100,000 a year.
Letchworth Museum, which was to close in April, has been given a stay of execution by North Hertfordshire District Council until April 2011.
The council has announced a £3.5m redevelopment of the town hall in Hitchin to rehouse the museum's collections alongside those from Hitchin Museum and material from the Burymead Resource Centre.
Museums under threat from local authority cuts
Brixham Heritage Museum:
Torbay Council threatened to withdraw £11,000 of funding earlier this year, which would have forced the museum to close. The council is now reviewing its plans.
Durban House heritage Centre:
Broxtowe Borough Council is proposing £60,000 worth of cuts to the budget of the Centre in Eastwood.
Museum of Oxford:
Oxford City Council is proposing cutting the museum's £200,00 budget by £108,000 in 2009-10 and £198,000 in 2010-11.
Explosion:
Verve Properties has pulled out of plans to take over the troubled Museum of Naval Firepower, in Gosport. The museum, which is costing the council £10,000 a month to keep open, is set to close in April.
Brixham Heritage Museum:
Torbay Council threatened to withdraw £11,000 of funding earlier this year, which would have forced the museum to close. The council is now reviewing its plans.
Durban House heritage Centre:
Broxtowe Borough Council is proposing £60,000 worth of cuts to the budget of the Centre in Eastwood.
Museum of Oxford:
Oxford City Council is proposing cutting the museum's £200,00 budget by £108,000 in 2009-10 and £198,000 in 2010-11.
Explosion:
Verve Properties has pulled out of plans to take over the troubled Museum of Naval Firepower, in Gosport. The museum, which is costing the council £10,000 a month to keep open, is set to close in April.
