You can always tell that local authorities are beginning to think about budgets for next year when the trickle of news stories about museum cuts becomes a flood. And so it is again this year.
Research by Museums Journal has uncovered the scale of cuts across the UK, which range from shorter opening hours, reductions in staffing levels and the loss of outreach and community programmes, to outright closure.
Our map shows that over the past decade, 42 museums and heritage sites have closed. Of course, some of these closures might be down to natural wastage; museum services evolve over time and strategic decisions need to be taken about where and when resources are allocated.
But most closures have come in the past couple of years and are a direct response to the financial situation. And while closures might be headline grabbing, it’s the wearing day-to-day cuts that are more pernicious. The question is what, if anything, we can do about it.
The head-to-head in this issue is on the question of whether we should expose the impact of cuts on museums. This is not a case of whining on the sidelines, more of openness and transparency.
Museums have had lots of investment over the past decade and visitor figures, and expectations, are high. When public money has been ploughed into buildings and services, there is surely a duty to let the public know if they are being undermined or are under threat.
As part of this awareness raising, Museums Journal is compiling an online map that will plot cuts across the UK. It will be regularly updated – please add information about what’s happening in your area.
Exposing the scale of cuts might not stop them happening, but at least it will let the public know the extent of the pain.
Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal
sharon@museumsassociation.org
www.twitter.com/sharonheal
Research by Museums Journal has uncovered the scale of cuts across the UK, which range from shorter opening hours, reductions in staffing levels and the loss of outreach and community programmes, to outright closure.
Our map shows that over the past decade, 42 museums and heritage sites have closed. Of course, some of these closures might be down to natural wastage; museum services evolve over time and strategic decisions need to be taken about where and when resources are allocated.
But most closures have come in the past couple of years and are a direct response to the financial situation. And while closures might be headline grabbing, it’s the wearing day-to-day cuts that are more pernicious. The question is what, if anything, we can do about it.
The head-to-head in this issue is on the question of whether we should expose the impact of cuts on museums. This is not a case of whining on the sidelines, more of openness and transparency.
Museums have had lots of investment over the past decade and visitor figures, and expectations, are high. When public money has been ploughed into buildings and services, there is surely a duty to let the public know if they are being undermined or are under threat.
As part of this awareness raising, Museums Journal is compiling an online map that will plot cuts across the UK. It will be regularly updated – please add information about what’s happening in your area.
Exposing the scale of cuts might not stop them happening, but at least it will let the public know the extent of the pain.
Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal
sharon@museumsassociation.org
www.twitter.com/sharonheal