The Museums Association’s (MA) 2012 survey into cuts to services has laid bare the continuing impact that budget cuts are having across the UK.
Out of the 114 museum services and individual institutions that responded, 51% reported a cut to their budgets. Almost a quarter had been forced to reduce public access by closing whole sites or parts of sites, permanently or temporarily, with 11% having shut entire sites permanently.
42% of respondents said there had been a reduction in the number of staff, with almost a fifth of those saying staffing levels were down 25% or more.
One respondent said: “The cuts pose serious risk to the care of collections. Expert knowledge is also threatened, with cuts resulting in one person doing more than one job, or increasingly with volunteers ‘replacing’ paid staff.”
Almost a third (31%) of respondents had experienced a cut of more than 10% to their budget, with a knock-on effect on public services. Half of those have introduced or increased charges for school visits.
One respondent said that reduced opening hours had forced the museum to shut during busy half-term periods, while others said they were scaling back outreach and development work.
There were signs of optimism, however. The survey showed that museums were increasingly focused on diversifying income streams, with 69% planning to concentrate more on generating income over the next year, and 62% increasing their fundraising activity.
More than a third (36%) of respondents said they expected their quality of service to increase in the coming year, compared with just 13% in 2011.
One museum director wrote: “Paid staff now work well beyond their job descriptions... but there is a strengthened team spirit and a wish not to let cuts affect public service.”
Museums Association director Mark Taylor said: “It’s not getting any better – and in some cases, it’s getting worse. There is no prospect of an upturn any time soon.
“But the survey shows a strong degree of determination to improve or at least maintain services. I think that’s a reflection of the strength of the museum sector.”
Out of the 114 museum services and individual institutions that responded, 51% reported a cut to their budgets. Almost a quarter had been forced to reduce public access by closing whole sites or parts of sites, permanently or temporarily, with 11% having shut entire sites permanently.
42% of respondents said there had been a reduction in the number of staff, with almost a fifth of those saying staffing levels were down 25% or more.
One respondent said: “The cuts pose serious risk to the care of collections. Expert knowledge is also threatened, with cuts resulting in one person doing more than one job, or increasingly with volunteers ‘replacing’ paid staff.”
Almost a third (31%) of respondents had experienced a cut of more than 10% to their budget, with a knock-on effect on public services. Half of those have introduced or increased charges for school visits.
One respondent said that reduced opening hours had forced the museum to shut during busy half-term periods, while others said they were scaling back outreach and development work.
There were signs of optimism, however. The survey showed that museums were increasingly focused on diversifying income streams, with 69% planning to concentrate more on generating income over the next year, and 62% increasing their fundraising activity.
More than a third (36%) of respondents said they expected their quality of service to increase in the coming year, compared with just 13% in 2011.
One museum director wrote: “Paid staff now work well beyond their job descriptions... but there is a strengthened team spirit and a wish not to let cuts affect public service.”
Museums Association director Mark Taylor said: “It’s not getting any better – and in some cases, it’s getting worse. There is no prospect of an upturn any time soon.
“But the survey shows a strong degree of determination to improve or at least maintain services. I think that’s a reflection of the strength of the museum sector.”
