Chancellor asked to provide £20m emergency funding for civic museums

Local museums need emergency funding to undo 14 years of austerity, the English Civic Museums Network has told chancellor Rachel Reeves in an open letter.

The network, representing the leaders of more than 75 local authority-funded museum services across England, said local museums "are places of inspiration, education and civic pride but they are under increasing threat". 

The letter continued: "After 14 years of austerity, exacerbated by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, local authorities, and in turn the museums they support, face an unprecedented set of economic pressures. 

"Museums in such diverse places such as Derby, Birmingham and Hampshire face a perilous financial position; the stark realities of this include wide-reaching redundancies and the imminent threat of sale of collections or closure.

"At least 15 other local authority services are at similar risk in the next 12 months – and even for those museums that have been able to secure commitments from their local councils, the road ahead remains hugely challenging."

The English Civic Museums Network, along with other museum organisations, said it was "calling for the chancellor in her autumn budget, to make available emergency funding to rectify some of the damage inflicted by austerity and bring local authority-reliant museums back to a more stable and sustainable position".

The network said an emergency funding boost of £20m would help to save the "most at-risk museums".

The letter said: "£20m represents 10% of the total funding received by museums in England from local authorities in 2021/22, before it was cut by a further unsustainable 11% in 2022/2023. It will be a cost-effective way to save the most at-risk museums until more sustainable long-term solutions can be found."

The network continued: "Civic museums take a long view of the story of a place, contextualising global events with local issues. They are often the first experience a child will have of a museum, through a school trip or a holiday activity. 

"Without them our communities, especially those far from the large museums in London, would be poorer and lose a world of discovery on their doorstep."

The letter comes as the new UK Government prepares to unveil its first autumn budget on 30 October. Museum sector bodies, including the Museums Association, recently made a joint submission to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport calling for emergency funding for civic museums and a fair long-term settlement for local authorities.

The letter in full

The Funding Crisis in English Civic Museums

Local museums are places of inspiration, education and civic pride but they are under increasing threat.

After 14 years of austerity, exacerbated by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, Local Authorities, and in turn the museums they support, face an unprecedented set of economic pressures. Museums in such diverse places such as Derby, Birmingham and Hampshire face a perilous financial position; the stark realities of this include wide-reaching redundancies and the imminent threat of sale of collections or closure. At least 15 other Local Authority services are at similar risk in the next 12 months – and even for those museums that have been able to secure commitments from their local Councils, the road ahead remains hugely challenging.   

The English Civic Museums Network along with other museum organisations is calling for the Chancellor in her Autumn budget, to make available emergency funding to rectify some of the damage inflicted by austerity and bring Local Authority-reliant museums back to a more stable and sustainable position. £20m represents 10% of the total funding received by museums in England from Local Authorities in 2021/22, before it was cut by a further unsustainable 11% in 2022/2023. It will be a cost-effective way to save the most at-risk museums until more sustainable long-term solutions can be found.

Civic Museums take a long view of the story of a place, contextualising global events with local issues. They are often the first experience a child will have of a museum, through a school trip or a holiday activity.

Without them our communities, especially those far from the large museums in London, would be poorer and lose a world of discovery on their doorstep.

Yours faithfully

Tony Butler – Director, Derby Museums 

Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah – Co-CEOs, Birmingham Museums Trust

Jon Finch – Head of Culture, Barnsley Council

Rowan Brown – CEO, Museums Northumberland

Paul Sapwell – CEO, Hampshire Museums Trust

Esme Ward – Director, Manchester Museum

Deborah Marsland – Museums and Galleries Manager, Kirklees Council

Tim Joel – Head of Culture, Preston City Council (Harris Museum)

Hedley Swain – CEO, Brighton and Hove Museums

Frank Hargrave – Head of Museums, Culture and Tourism,  Colchester + Ipswich Museums Service

Sarah Wilson – Heritage Manager, Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery

Marie Kirbyshaw – CEO, Luton Culture

Keith Merrin – Director, Tyne and Wear Museums and Archives

David Hopes – Head of Service, Leeds Museums & Galleries

Marguerite Nugent – Cultural Director, CV Life, Coventry

Simon Green – Managing Director, Hull Culture & Leisure Ltd

Kim Streets – CEO, Sheffield Museums 

Lisa Edgar – Director, Arts and Heritage, The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum Cheltenham

Victoria Pomery – CEO, The Box, Plymouth

Mark Doyle – Director of Arts, Heritage and Wellness, Touchstones, Rochdale

Kate Harland – Museums and Heritage Manager, West Cheshire Museums

Andrew Mackay – Director, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery 

Kathryn Blacker – CEO, York Museums Trust

Emma Heslewood – Senior Museum Manager, Lancashire County Council

Helen Hartstein – Co-leader, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter

On behalf of The English Civic Museums Network (ECMN) which represents the leaders of more than 75 Local Authority-funded museum services across England.