Annual accounts reveal directors’ pay

Most national museum directors received modest pay increases for 2008-09, according to annual accounts published over the summer.

The exception was Neil MacGregor at the British Museum, whose salary rose by 23 per cent (see table).

A spokeswoman for the museum said that trustees were concerned that the salaries of the director and deputy director had fallen behind those at other major national museums and galleries.

"It was their decision to increase both salaries to bring them into line with the sector," she said.

The annual reports also showed increases in attendance across most national museums, the exceptions being the Victoria and Albert Museum (down 7 per cent) and the National Museum of Science and Industry (down 4 per cent). The latter is partly explained by the Wroughton collections store no longer being promoted as a visitor attraction, although attendance was down across all of the group's five sites.

The accounts for National Museums Liverpool and the Imperial War Museum have not yet been published.