The National Museum Directors’ Conference (NMDC) is consulting members on its future remit and membership, as part of a wider strategy review.

Museums Journal understands that one of the key questions in the review is whether the NMDC should represent just national museums, all directly government-funded museums, or whether it should expand to cover the new Renaissance core museums or all of the UK’s major publicly funded museums.

Several museum directors said that they were opposed to the expansion of the organisation, with one saying that membership should be restricted to those museums funded directly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

There was also opposition to the NMDC playing a wider role in representing the whole sector. National Museums Liverpool director David Fleming said: “My personal view is that the NMDC cannot speak for the whole sector, but this strategy is an opportunity to forge productive and respectful relationships with the rest of the sector.

“There is also a big challenge for the Museums Association and the federations, in this respect.”

Iain Watson, the director of Tyne and Wear Museums, emphasised the importance of working with other bodies.

“I think it is important that the NMDC is UK-wide and that it can be a voice of the larger museums alongside other bodies, in particular the Museums Association, the Association of Independent Museums and Arts Council England.”

Lizzie Glithero-West, the NMDC’s head of strategy and delivery, said: “I am discussing our future strategy with our members and, following that, will also talk to a number of our stakeholders. There is nothing to report at present.”