“Yes. If national museums are the backbone of our cultural heritage, local and community museums are its beating heart.
These museums have an ability to touch people’s lives intimately with the objects they hold and the stories they tell. They are crucial to a sense of identity and place and often do much for their local economy.
Added to this is the fact that many local museums are independent, not only in constitution, but also in spirit. With paid staff and an army of volunteers they are well-equipped to achieve great things on a shoestring, with minimal fuss.
A small amount of investment in local museums really can produce amazing results.”
“Yes. The national museums play an important role in driving the tourist economy, and it is important to protect them, but it is the smaller museums that stand to lose the most from the government’s spending review because they will find it hardest to generate income through philanthropy and retail.
They are already part of a bigger society, supporting communities, working with volunteers and strengthening local economies the length and breadth of the country.
We have to sustain a basic infrastructure of cultural provision at a local level, in partnership with the nationals, to ensure that every UK citizen can benefit from and participate in heritage close to home.”
“We should still invest in big national projects as the best of these transform our museums and the way people perceive and use museums. The UK still lags way behind mainland Europe in the scale and ambition of major projects, particularly new-build contemporary architecture.
The key difference in future will be that the projects that gain support will minimise their carbon footprint and deliver a sustainable business plan.
Having said that, spending on big projects should not preclude investing in local museums, where relatively small amounts of money can have a significant impact. Small museums should invest to improve sustainability, for example to increase earned income and reduce energy costs.”
“It would be crazy to allocate public funds simply based on the size of a project. Decisions should consider quality, need and value for money. Perhaps more explicit attention should be paid to weighing up the costs against the benefits.
Most investment decisions don’t seem to be based on evidence, but on funders likes and dislikes, with a bit of politics thrown in. It’s deplorable that the department for culture wants to ditch responsibility for non-national museums.
On the brighter side, governments in the devolved nations are paying increasing attention to non-nationals; and the Heritage Lottery Fund is getting more money, some of which will go to smaller community museums.”
