The reality of funding arrangements
I agree entirely with Ian Edelman's letter (Museums Journal March 2005, p12). Renaissance has done next to nothing to help small/medium-sized museums and less-well-funded museums. Renaissance in the Regions is a nice-sounding title that suggests that all museums in the regions are benefiting from government largesse.
I think the government thinks this too. But what is actually happening is that the money is going to just a few major, comparatively well-off museums, some of which already receive money from the public coffers. The remaining museums, at least 95 per cent, are left to fend for themselves.
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) press releases emphasising the 'benefits to all museums' continue to disguise the reality of the Renaissance programme. The money is building capacity where we don't actually need it. No one, as far as I am aware, asked any Sussex museums whether we needed six staff in our hub cataloguing the fashion collection.
And apparently one of the reasons I should love Renaissance is that it has funded a student journalist to write stories for the 24 Hour Museum website.
In short, it would be hard to come up with a more divisive funding programme. Originally it seems to have been intended to raise regional museums up to national standards. The effect will be to create a two-tier system in the regions themselves.
From a government that advocates opportunities for all and equal access, it is hard to think of any programme of well-intentioned support that promotes such division.
So what to do? Well we can just sit on our hands and say good luck to the hubs. Or we can work with our regional agencies and the MLA and develop more transparent procedures about how hub cash is allocated, and how the wider benefits 'supporting the whole of the museums community' are going to be promoted and evaluated.
No doubt I will be told that the Renaissance in the Regions was always intended to benefit a few big regional museums; that the process has been transparent from the off; and that I have conveniently ignored the benefits of the museum development officers.
But if so let's rename the whole programme Renaissance in the Regional Museums Only, let's stop suggesting that we are all benefiting.
If anyone is interested in a meeting of non-hub museums on this issue, to kick-start some positive thinking, please email or phone me.
John Manley, CEO Sussex Past
Tel: 01273-486260 email: ceo@sussexpast.co.uk www.sussexpast.co.uk
Renaissance helps Hampshire
We wish to clarify Ian Edelman's perception that Renaissance has had no effect on small/medium-sized museums (Museums Journal March 2005, p12). In the past 14 months, the Renaissance-funded Museum Development Service for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has awarded grants to 16 non-hub museums ranging from volunteer-run community museums to larger but less well endowed public services.
Over 50 per cent of the grants were to support collections management projects; others were for access improvements. We have established a free training programme covering all aspects of museum operations, with sessions attended by more than 150 people.
Our work supporting the raising of standards has included detailed advisory visits to 32 museums in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and free access auditing. All of this work with local museums will be further enhanced with more than £100,000 of Renaissance money in 2005-6 from SEMLAC and the SE Hub. These are just a few of the benefits delivered on Ian's doorstep with Renaissance funds.
Andrea Bishop, Hampshire and Isle of Wight museum development officer; Christine Beresford, Hampshire and Isle of Wight museum development officer; Laura Williams, SEMLAC; Alastair Penfold, SE Hub; Mike Bishop, Isle of Wight Museum Service; Rosemary Cooper, Carisbrooke Castle Museum; Ian Maine, Royal Marines Museum; Alan Jones, Solent Sky; Steve Marshall, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery Lymington; Sarah Quail, formerly of Portsmouth City Museums and Records Service
HLF attacks myth of declining support
The MA news column in the last issue gives me a chance to tackle a misconception that is becoming an urban myth - that the Heritage Lottery Fund's (HLF) support for the museum sector is in decline (Museums Journal March 2005, p7).
Since the fund came into being in 1994, the sector has received £1.1bn - over a third of our total awards to heritage. It is the largest investment ever made in museums in this country. And the sector continues to benefit from steady and strong support from the HLF. In the past six months we have made 75 awards to the value of £65m to museums ranging from large nationals to small independents.
This support is enabling UK museums and galleries to unlock opportunities and realise visions; it is helping not only to transform buildings and collections, but to reach new audiences. As we begin to develop our next Strategic Plan for 2007-2012, we will continue to look to the sector to help us with that process by articulating need, public support and public benefits. Planning needs fact - not myths!
Carole Souter, director, Heritage Lottery Fund
I agree entirely with Ian Edelman's letter (Museums Journal March 2005, p12). Renaissance has done next to nothing to help small/medium-sized museums and less-well-funded museums. Renaissance in the Regions is a nice-sounding title that suggests that all museums in the regions are benefiting from government largesse.
I think the government thinks this too. But what is actually happening is that the money is going to just a few major, comparatively well-off museums, some of which already receive money from the public coffers. The remaining museums, at least 95 per cent, are left to fend for themselves.
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) press releases emphasising the 'benefits to all museums' continue to disguise the reality of the Renaissance programme. The money is building capacity where we don't actually need it. No one, as far as I am aware, asked any Sussex museums whether we needed six staff in our hub cataloguing the fashion collection.
And apparently one of the reasons I should love Renaissance is that it has funded a student journalist to write stories for the 24 Hour Museum website.
In short, it would be hard to come up with a more divisive funding programme. Originally it seems to have been intended to raise regional museums up to national standards. The effect will be to create a two-tier system in the regions themselves.
From a government that advocates opportunities for all and equal access, it is hard to think of any programme of well-intentioned support that promotes such division.
So what to do? Well we can just sit on our hands and say good luck to the hubs. Or we can work with our regional agencies and the MLA and develop more transparent procedures about how hub cash is allocated, and how the wider benefits 'supporting the whole of the museums community' are going to be promoted and evaluated.
No doubt I will be told that the Renaissance in the Regions was always intended to benefit a few big regional museums; that the process has been transparent from the off; and that I have conveniently ignored the benefits of the museum development officers.
But if so let's rename the whole programme Renaissance in the Regional Museums Only, let's stop suggesting that we are all benefiting.
If anyone is interested in a meeting of non-hub museums on this issue, to kick-start some positive thinking, please email or phone me.
John Manley, CEO Sussex Past
Tel: 01273-486260 email: ceo@sussexpast.co.uk www.sussexpast.co.uk
Renaissance helps Hampshire
We wish to clarify Ian Edelman's perception that Renaissance has had no effect on small/medium-sized museums (Museums Journal March 2005, p12). In the past 14 months, the Renaissance-funded Museum Development Service for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has awarded grants to 16 non-hub museums ranging from volunteer-run community museums to larger but less well endowed public services.
Over 50 per cent of the grants were to support collections management projects; others were for access improvements. We have established a free training programme covering all aspects of museum operations, with sessions attended by more than 150 people.
Our work supporting the raising of standards has included detailed advisory visits to 32 museums in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and free access auditing. All of this work with local museums will be further enhanced with more than £100,000 of Renaissance money in 2005-6 from SEMLAC and the SE Hub. These are just a few of the benefits delivered on Ian's doorstep with Renaissance funds.
Andrea Bishop, Hampshire and Isle of Wight museum development officer; Christine Beresford, Hampshire and Isle of Wight museum development officer; Laura Williams, SEMLAC; Alastair Penfold, SE Hub; Mike Bishop, Isle of Wight Museum Service; Rosemary Cooper, Carisbrooke Castle Museum; Ian Maine, Royal Marines Museum; Alan Jones, Solent Sky; Steve Marshall, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery Lymington; Sarah Quail, formerly of Portsmouth City Museums and Records Service
HLF attacks myth of declining support
The MA news column in the last issue gives me a chance to tackle a misconception that is becoming an urban myth - that the Heritage Lottery Fund's (HLF) support for the museum sector is in decline (Museums Journal March 2005, p7).
Since the fund came into being in 1994, the sector has received £1.1bn - over a third of our total awards to heritage. It is the largest investment ever made in museums in this country. And the sector continues to benefit from steady and strong support from the HLF. In the past six months we have made 75 awards to the value of £65m to museums ranging from large nationals to small independents.
This support is enabling UK museums and galleries to unlock opportunities and realise visions; it is helping not only to transform buildings and collections, but to reach new audiences. As we begin to develop our next Strategic Plan for 2007-2012, we will continue to look to the sector to help us with that process by articulating need, public support and public benefits. Planning needs fact - not myths!
Carole Souter, director, Heritage Lottery Fund
