Only three years ago, museums in the English regions had an embarrassment of riches. Strategic advice was supplied by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’s (MLA) regional agencies.

Renaissance hubs offered training and support, while helping to boost capacity across museums. A network of museum development officers delivered all of the above at a one-to-one level.

The picture now, and as it will emerge over the next few months, is very different. Regional agencies are long gone; hubs are being wound down and will cease to exist from June; and the immediate future for museum development officers is unclear in the hiatus between the transfer of responsibility for museums from the MLA to Arts Council England (ACE).

Last month we also learned that the skeleton staff that the MLA had left in the regions will become further emaciated, with just one relatively junior post becoming responsible for museums in each of the English regions (see news, p7).

Who will step into this vacuum? ACE is reviewing the role of core museums under the revamped Renaissance scheme, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that they cannot stand alone with no regional responsibilities whatsoever.

And it would seem logical, depending on the number of core museums and their geographical spread, that they take on responsibility for managing museum development officers, rather than them being run from ACE regional or national offices that have little or no knowledge of their role.

There is also a job for the federations to do, where they exist, and for the Museums Association, which is in the process of appointing representatives in the regions and nations.

Cuts are undermining the capacity and infrastructure of museums and galleries in the regions. A strategic approach is urgently needed to prevent the gap widening between museums with the resources to develop and those that are being left behind.

Sharon Heal, editor, Museums Journal

sharon@museumsassociation.org

www.twitter.com/sharonheal

http://bit.ly/ffF42r