Doubts have been raised over plans for a new museum of British history following the publication of a Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) report which recommends that the proposed centre should be a "partnership body with only a small number of permanent staff, no building [except administration offices] and no collection".
The independent review was commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) following a call by the former Conservative minister Kenneth Baker to create a £150m museum of "Britishness". The idea was enthusiastically supported by Gordon Brown and the Daily Telegraph.
But the MLA report recommends that the centre for British history should be: "a UK-wide federated programme that involves all public collections, is complemented by digital resources and is led by a small planning and coordination hub".
According to a government source, the MLA report has been greeted with "scepticism" by culture secretary Andy Burnham.
An MLA spokesman said: "The report is with the government, and it is right and proper that the decision lies there."
MLA chief executive Roy Clare added: "We looked closely at proposals for a single, new, purpose-built institution located in London. We heard few informed voices who wished to see a London-centric response to what is a nationwide story."
But this prompted an angry response from Baker, who said: "The MLA report asked if another large museum in London is needed. This is a huge opportunity missed and a damp squib. UK museums tell part of the history but no institution pulls it all together. We now have the option of a British history Nintendo website."
A spokesman for the department for culture responded: "It is true that there is a mismatch between what Lord Baker wants and what the MLA believes is feasible in the current economic climate."
Museum professionals consulted by the MLA include Vanessa Trevelyan, head of Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, Nick Dodd, chief executive of Museums Sheffield, and Sandy Nairne, director of London's National Portrait Gallery.
The MLA now aims to develop a detailed proposal in collaboration with partners such as the National Museum Directors' Conference.
"We believe that the [proposed] museum centre could be up and running in time to assist the delivery of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012," said Clare.
The independent review was commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) following a call by the former Conservative minister Kenneth Baker to create a £150m museum of "Britishness". The idea was enthusiastically supported by Gordon Brown and the Daily Telegraph.
But the MLA report recommends that the centre for British history should be: "a UK-wide federated programme that involves all public collections, is complemented by digital resources and is led by a small planning and coordination hub".
According to a government source, the MLA report has been greeted with "scepticism" by culture secretary Andy Burnham.
An MLA spokesman said: "The report is with the government, and it is right and proper that the decision lies there."
MLA chief executive Roy Clare added: "We looked closely at proposals for a single, new, purpose-built institution located in London. We heard few informed voices who wished to see a London-centric response to what is a nationwide story."
But this prompted an angry response from Baker, who said: "The MLA report asked if another large museum in London is needed. This is a huge opportunity missed and a damp squib. UK museums tell part of the history but no institution pulls it all together. We now have the option of a British history Nintendo website."
A spokesman for the department for culture responded: "It is true that there is a mismatch between what Lord Baker wants and what the MLA believes is feasible in the current economic climate."
Museum professionals consulted by the MLA include Vanessa Trevelyan, head of Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service, Nick Dodd, chief executive of Museums Sheffield, and Sandy Nairne, director of London's National Portrait Gallery.
The MLA now aims to develop a detailed proposal in collaboration with partners such as the National Museum Directors' Conference.
"We believe that the [proposed] museum centre could be up and running in time to assist the delivery of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012," said Clare.