Urgent call for museum data on the impact of energy price rises

Museums and galleries across the UK are invited to urgently fill in a UK Government survey on the impacts of rising energy costs. The survey closes on 30 October.

The survey is intended to highlight key vulnerabilities in the sector and provide data to help the government to identify which sectors will require ongoing support with energy costs beyond 31 March 2023, when the current universal price guarantee for businesses is due to end.

The survey is run by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The Museums Association (MA) is encouraging as many museums and galleries as possible from all four UK nations to complete the survey. Sharon Heal, director of the MA said: "We are making a strong case to government for the price cap to continue for our sector after the initial six-month period. It is vital that museums respond to this call for information to provide the evidence of impact."

Heal said that as well as giving simple information about the financial impact of the fuel crisis there are also opportunities to describe the impact that is particular to museums.

She said: "Our collections are what make museums unique and we cannot pull the plug on them if we are to continue to look after them for future generations. Museums can make the case via this survey about our role in caring for diverse collections; the need for environmental controls to protect collections; the cost of preserving and maintaining historic buildings; and the fact that many museums are part of the civic and public realm and can help provide warm, welcoming and engaging spaces for their communities over the coming winter."

The survey closes at 23.55hrs on Sunday 30 October 2022. Arts Council England guidance on the survey is here.

To complete the survey, organisations will need data on energy consumption and costs and overall income and expenditure. DCMS advises museums to answer Museum Sector to question 1.3 and to use the SIC code 91020, Museums Activities to ensure responses are collated under the correct sector.