Petition launched against cuts to Welsh museums and heritage

A Senedd petition has been launched urging the Welsh Government to increase rather than cut spending to the nation's museums and heritage.

The government's draft budget is proposing a 10.5% revenue cut to Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales, and a 22.3% cut to the historic environment service, Cadw, which includes the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

"Bearing in mind that every £1 invested in the sector leads to £5 worth of economic growth, the 0.02% saving made in the national budget makes little sense," says the petition, which has attracted more than 1,200 signatures so far.

The government says it is facing the "starkest and most painful" budget since devolution began and has blamed an inadequate funding settlement from Westminster, coupled with pressures such as persistently high inflation, unfunded public sector pay rises and rising demand for services.

The petition comes amid warnings from unions and politicians over the potentially devastating impact of the cuts.

National museum and library representatives at the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union recently told the Senedd's culture committee that their institutions would cease to fully function if the cuts went ahead.

"Both institutions have suffered from chronic underinvestment over many years according to the Welsh government's tailored reviews," they said.

Meanwhile, Heledd Fychan, the Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales Central, warned last week that the proposed cuts, coupled with a £90m maintenance backlog at Amgueddfa Cymru, would put the national collections at risk.

"These warnings should not be taken lightly, or dismissed as the sector being alarmist," said Fychan, who previously worked at Amgueddfa Cymru and was a board member of the Museums Association.

"In 2016, the Natural History Museum in Delhi was destroyed in a fire, years after concerns were raised about maintenance. And in 2018, the National Museum of Brazil was destroyed in a fire and 92.5% of the nation’s national collections – built up over 200 years – vanished overnight due to a faulty air conditioning unit.

"Inspectors had warned of a fire risk as early as 2004, and the government had pressed on with funding cuts despite these warnings."

Fychan said Wales had already suffered a close call after a 2013 fire damaged the roof of the national library.

"Burying our heads in the sand, and hoping it won’t happen again here in Wales isn’t a strategic approach to our national memory," she said.

Fychan outlined a number of further risks posed by the funding cuts, including the loss of staff and expertise. A voluntary redundancy scheme is already under way at Amgueddfa Cymru.

"We will lose experts and practitioners that not only care for our cultural assets, but also help engage people of every age and background with them. There won’t be time for succession planning, or training others in those skills," Fychan said.

She said the government's mooted proposal to reintroduce entry charges at national museums would not solve the funding crisis, saying free entry had almost doubled visitor numbers to nationals since the policy was introduced 10 years ago.

Museums Association director Sharon Heal has called on the Welsh Government to rethink the budget proposals.

She said: “It’s disappointing to see the proposed budget cuts that will impact both local and national museums in Wales. Museums in Wales have led the way on working with their communities, tackling the climate crisis, supporting community wellbeing and sharing and democratising their collections and it would be a shame to see this sector-leading work set back.

“Museums in Wales are an essential part of the fabric of the nation; they are loved and trusted by the public and are a key part of our cultural and social infrastructure. They are also at the heart of civic life, helping to make our villages, towns and cities vibrant and inclusive places to live, work and visit. 

“The Welsh Government has long recognised that museums are playing a vital role delivering against its key policy priorities such as supporting the Future Generation Act and the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and we would urge it to reconsider the proposed cuts.”

The Welsh Government is due to publish its final budget on 27 February.