Funding cuts causing threat of closure of museums, most prominently local authority museums A national response is required to address the issue of the value of local and regional museums in the context of the current trend towards the closure of valued local institutions, particularly those affected by cuts to local authority budgets. A joined-up approach between the sector and government to consider whether the role of local authority funded museums is necessarily changing, in the light of new economic conditions, is needed. This could see the production of support systems to guide local authorities through the process of effectively protecting the public value created by museums by, for example, advising on building shared services, or providing guidelines for the sustainable transfer of local authority museums to independent Trusts or other sustainable operational models can be achieved, without damaging public benefit in the long term. Over and above core funding, what do you think are the top three opportunities for museums and galleries in England over the next decade and how could these be best exploited? Please write in an opportunity in each box on the left and on the right indicate how it could be exploited. Answer: top 3 opportunities & ways they could be exploited Research and develop Shared service models for libraries, archives, and museums Research is already underway into issues relating to planning archaeology and museums and public engagement. An example of this is the the ‘Seeing light of day’ project being undertaken by Wiltshire Museum. This project seeks to produce guidance and investigate options, such as remote storage, for areas where archives cannot be deposited. Develop better support for local authorities to enable transformation to sustainable service models There is a worrying trend towards the closure of local authority museums, as councils seek to meet difficult budgetary demands. There is an urgent need for stronger guidance to ensure that any necessary process of transformation can be made with the long term interest of the public assets in mind. For example, to ensure that potential options are explored and any transfer of management or short-term closures is planned effectively and that other obligations for example, those relating to recent lottery funding are – – understood. Greater cooperation between museums and wider partners Museums are institutions which are well disposed to working with wider partners due to their unique civic and educational position. An example of a fruitful area for partnerships may be with universities, where museums offer the chance to achieve and demonstrate impact in a variety of ways, including through outreach and education. University involvement also brings the
Funding cuts causing threat of closure of museums, most prominently local authority museums A national response is required to address the issue of the value of local and regional museums in the context of the current trend towards the closure of valued local institutions, particularly those affected by cuts to local authority budgets. A joined-up approach between the sector and government to consider whether the role of local authority funded museums is necessarily changing, in the light of new economic conditions, is needed. This could see the production of support systems to guide local authorities through the process of effectively protecting the public value created by museums by, for example, advising on building shared services, or providing guidelines for the sustainable transfer of local authority museums to independent Trusts or other sustainable operational models can be achieved, without damaging public benefit in the long term. Over and above core funding, what do you think are the top three opportunities for museums and galleries in England over the next decade and how could these be best exploited? Please write in an opportunity in each box on the left and on the right indicate how it could be exploited. Answer: top 3 opportunities & ways they could be exploited Research and develop Shared service models for libraries, archives, and museums Research is already underway into issues relating to planning archaeology and museums and public engagement. An example of this is the ‘Seeing the light of day’ project being undertaken by Wiltshire Museum. This project seeks to produce guidance and investigate options, such as remote storage, for areas where archives cannot be deposited. Develop better support for local authorities to enable transformation to sustainable service models There is a worrying trend towards the closure of local authority museums, as councils seek to meet difficult budgetary demands. There is an urgent need for stronger guidance to ensure that any necessary process of transformation can be made with the long term interest of the public assets in mind. For example, to ensure that potential options are explored and any transfer of management or short-term closures is planned effectively and that other obligations – for example, those relating to recent lottery funding – are understood. Greater cooperation between museums and wider partners Museums are institutions which are well disposed to working with wider partners due to their unique civic and educational position. An example of a fruitful area for partnerships may be with universities, where museums offer the chance to achieve and demonstrate impact in a variety of ways, including through outreach and education. University involvement also brings the
DCMS%20Museums%20Inquiry%20-%20CIfA%20response.docx