The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is looking to relinquish control and sponsorship of eight non-national museums from April 2015.
As part of its four-year business plan, the department said these museums “should be the responsibility of local communities”. A DCMS spokesman said it was in talks with a range of organisations, and hoped to find alternative sponsors by next April.
The eight non-national museums sponsored by the DCMS are the Design Museum; Geffrye Museum; Horniman Museum and Gardens; Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester; National Coal Mining Museum for England; National Football Museum; People’s History Museum; and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.
The spokesman added: “There is no question of leaving [these] museums adrift without support.” But the level of funding the eight receive after 2015 is likely to be cut.
Margaret Faull, director of the National Coal Mining Museum for England, said: “Our understanding is that if an organisation takes us on, it will pay us a grant and a nominal amount would be included in its budget to take account of this. But this money won’t be ringfenced.”
Faull added that neither Wakefield Council nor the Science Museum were likely to have the capacity to take the museum on.
National Football Museum director Kevin Moore said the loss of funding wouldn’t affect staffing levels or its move to Manchester. Its funding will become the responsibility of Manchester City Council from April 2011.