Cost of living crisis is hitting sector hard

As museums across the UK focused on rebuilding audiences in the wake of Covid, few could have anticipated the impact of the soaring cost of living.

The crisis is hitting museums and those that work with them especially hard. Many museums are housed in historic buildings that are not energy efficient and are costly to heat and maintain. 

Museums also have additional costs related to looking after collections to ensure they are safe and can be enjoyed by current and future generations. 

And a workforce that has suffered decades of low pay and risks falling even further behind as a result of the crisis.

While the business price cap is welcome, bills are still anticipated to be twice what they were last October. It is a short-term fix and will not address the sector’s systemic underfunding over the past decade.

The Museums Association is calling for long-term investment to support museums to become more energy efficient and create sustainable futures.

Many museums have pledged to open their doors as warm and welcoming spaces over the winter. They are ideal places to provide this service, as they are free or low cost, have amenities that the public needs, and have amazing collections and stories that can keep people entertained for hours. But for us to do that, we need to be able to keep the doors open.

Sharon Heal is the director of the Museums Association