Local authorities in England have cut spending on cultural services by 4.2% since 2012/13, according to new figures compiled by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Total budgets for spending on cultural services across England is £2.7bn in 2013/14, about £124m less than the amount spent in the previous financial year. The figure does not include inflation, making the real-term cut even larger.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said that the reduction in local authority spending comes alongside cuts to other funding schemes such as Renaissance and the Cultural Leadership programme.
“Cumulatively this means that some museums must be approaching meltdown,” he said. “There comes a point when museums cannot absorb cuts and struggle on, and we are now approaching that point.”
The DCLG figures were published at the end of July, and include a breakdown of spending by each local authority.
Meanwhile, a last-ditch attempt to stop Canterbury City Council introducing reduced and seasonal opening hours has failed.
As previously reported by Museums Journal, Canterbury City Council had proposed introducing seasonal closures in order to save £65,000 (or 5%) a year, after a report indicated its museums were costing too much per visitor.
The council said it had to reduce spending on culture by 20% (£220,000) a year.
Two Lib Dem councillors, Alex Perkins and James Flanagan, challenged the decision, but they were outvoted in a scrutiny committee meeting last week.
As a result, Whitstable and Herne Bay museums will close in the winter and only open Thursday to Sunday from April to the end of September.
Canterbury Heritage Museum will open from Wednesday to Sunday for 32 weeks of the year. The Beaney and the Roman Museum will maintain their opening hours of seven days a week all-year-round.
Total budgets for spending on cultural services across England is £2.7bn in 2013/14, about £124m less than the amount spent in the previous financial year. The figure does not include inflation, making the real-term cut even larger.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said that the reduction in local authority spending comes alongside cuts to other funding schemes such as Renaissance and the Cultural Leadership programme.
“Cumulatively this means that some museums must be approaching meltdown,” he said. “There comes a point when museums cannot absorb cuts and struggle on, and we are now approaching that point.”
The DCLG figures were published at the end of July, and include a breakdown of spending by each local authority.
Meanwhile, a last-ditch attempt to stop Canterbury City Council introducing reduced and seasonal opening hours has failed.
As previously reported by Museums Journal, Canterbury City Council had proposed introducing seasonal closures in order to save £65,000 (or 5%) a year, after a report indicated its museums were costing too much per visitor.
The council said it had to reduce spending on culture by 20% (£220,000) a year.
Two Lib Dem councillors, Alex Perkins and James Flanagan, challenged the decision, but they were outvoted in a scrutiny committee meeting last week.
As a result, Whitstable and Herne Bay museums will close in the winter and only open Thursday to Sunday from April to the end of September.
Canterbury Heritage Museum will open from Wednesday to Sunday for 32 weeks of the year. The Beaney and the Roman Museum will maintain their opening hours of seven days a week all-year-round.
