Dumfries and Galloway Council proposes closing four museums

Dumfries and Galleries Council is considering the closure of four seasonal museums, including the 16th-century Castle of St John in Stranraer.

The local authority in south-west Scotland needs to find £35m of savings over the next three years due to rising costs and growing demand for services. It has already cut spending by £133m over the past 16 years.

In its draft budget plans for 2026/27, which closed for consultation at the end of November, the council outlined a proposal to close four council-run museums and galleries that currently operate seasonally.

The sites at risk are the Castle of St John, Sanquhar Tolbooth Museum, the Old Bridge House Museum in Dumfries, and Castle Douglas Art Gallery.

The Castle of St John, a medieval tower house built around 1500, offers videos and reconstructions telling the history of the site, as well as an activity room for families and children.

Sanquhar Tolbooth Museum explores the town’s knitting tradition and the story of local mines and miners, while the Old Bridge House Museum, located in Dumfries’ oldest house, tells the story of everyday life in the town.

Castle Douglas Art Gallery, which opened in 1938, is a venue for contemporary art and craft exhibitions.

In a document outlining its budget plans, the council said: “Like councils across Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council faces difficult financial choices in the years ahead.

“Rising costs and growing demand for services mean every pound must stretch further, while funding isn’t keeping pace.

“To help meet this challenge, councillors have agreed to consult early and openly on a range of potential savings and income-generation options before setting the 26/27 budget in late February 2026.”

Consultation responses will be analysed and presented to councillors this month ahead of a full council budget meeting in February next year.  

Sharon Heal, the director of the Museums Association, said the potential closure of the museums would hit local communities.

She said: “It is disappointing that Dumfries and Galloway Council is proposing to close four of its museums. We understand the challenges councils are facing to a manage rising costs and balance budgets but this will have a direct impact on the local communities of these museums and restrict opportunities for local people to engage with and participate in culture and heritage where they live. 

“Our civic museums are a key part of our social and cultural infrastructure. They help to create a sense of belonging, address local needs and create vibrant places to live, work and visit.”

Bristol council cuts

Meanwhile Bristol City Council is considering a cut of 40%, or £635,000, to its cultural investment programme by 2027 in order to help plug a budget shortfall of £20.8m.

The programme provides grants to Bristol-based organisations and individuals to deliver arts and culture activities.

A statement in the council’s budget proposals said: “The council plans to reduce its funding for the Cultural Investment Programme (CIP) by 2027. We will continue to support organisations who have received grants until the programme ends. The funding reduction was originally planned for 2025.

“The decision to delay the start of the funding reduction until 2026 reflects the council’s commitment to finding new, longer‑term sources of funding and continuing to invest in the city’s cultural sector.

“Work to find new funding sources began in 2025, including exploring the creation of a new investment fund. This work is ongoing, and a new approach to cultural funding is currently being developed.”

However the council has now given a reprieve to three museums that were previously at risk of closure.

A plan to close the Red Lodge, Georgian House and Blaise Museums was deferred in February this year to allow 12 months to find a source of funding to avoid the closure.

The draft 2026/27 budget document confirmed that the council has now “identified ways to offset the £142,000 to keep the three museums open by growing income, through a combination of measures including increasing commercial use, retail and improving the general offer across the museums”.

The savings are expected to be made over a three‑year period, according to the document.