Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire has denied press reports that it plans to close its museum sites for a three-month period from December.
But the council has proposed cutting opening hours at its five museums, which currently open seven days a week and include the Red House Museum in Gomersal and Dewsbury Museum in Crow Nest Park.
“There is scope to better design the service around visitor numbers, particularly in the winter, when numbers are lower,” said a council spokesman.
“So we are considering moving to a mix of five or six days a week opening throughout the year for all sites, with early closing in winter for the main museums and weekend-only winter opening for the Red House and Oakwell Hall [in Birstall].”
The plans are set to be finalised at a council budget meeting this month.
Meanwhile, five local authority museums in areas where Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums operates shut between Xmas and New Year. The venues, which include Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, remained open at the same time last year.
A spokeswoman for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums said “delivery had been refocused to enhance the summer exhibitions and events programme”.
In Sheffield, the Graves Gallery is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
A Museums Sheffield spokesman said: “We looked at a number of ways to absorb the 12% reduction in our local authority funding for this financial year. Alongside a round of redundancies and a reduction of internal budgets, there has also been a reduction in opening hours.”
Carmarthenshire County Council has deferred a decision about the future of the Carmarthenshire and Parc Howard museums. Local press reports said they could shut in a bid to save £150,000.
The council will hold discussions with friends associations, along with town and community councils in Carmarthen and Llanelli.
But the council has proposed cutting opening hours at its five museums, which currently open seven days a week and include the Red House Museum in Gomersal and Dewsbury Museum in Crow Nest Park.
“There is scope to better design the service around visitor numbers, particularly in the winter, when numbers are lower,” said a council spokesman.
“So we are considering moving to a mix of five or six days a week opening throughout the year for all sites, with early closing in winter for the main museums and weekend-only winter opening for the Red House and Oakwell Hall [in Birstall].”
The plans are set to be finalised at a council budget meeting this month.
Meanwhile, five local authority museums in areas where Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums operates shut between Xmas and New Year. The venues, which include Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, remained open at the same time last year.
A spokeswoman for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums said “delivery had been refocused to enhance the summer exhibitions and events programme”.
In Sheffield, the Graves Gallery is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
A Museums Sheffield spokesman said: “We looked at a number of ways to absorb the 12% reduction in our local authority funding for this financial year. Alongside a round of redundancies and a reduction of internal budgets, there has also been a reduction in opening hours.”
Carmarthenshire County Council has deferred a decision about the future of the Carmarthenshire and Parc Howard museums. Local press reports said they could shut in a bid to save £150,000.
The council will hold discussions with friends associations, along with town and community councils in Carmarthen and Llanelli.