Policy | Museum Manifesto

Museums across the UK play a vital role in bringing our communities together, supporting us to understand our past and helping us to shape a fairer and greener future.

However, we know all too well that many museums are facing serious challenges caused by decades of funding cuts and further exacerbated by rising inflation.

The Museums Association collaborates with partners to make the case for investment in museums to politicians, stakeholders and funders in all four nations of the UK so that the value and impact of museums and their collections is understood. With a general election on the horizon, our advocacy work is paramount.

That’s why at our conference last November we launched our Museum Manifesto. In it we are calling for everyone to have the right to access museums, and for new public investment in museums across the UK.

The manifesto asks for a long-term funding settlement for local museums, for dedicated funding to ensure that museum buildings and collections are sustainable, and for the Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief to be made permanent.

In the run up to the general election, we will be asking all major political parties to commit to joined-up funding so that we can all enjoy the benefits of a good quality museum service near to where we live.

India Divers is a policy officer at the Museums Association