27 Nov 2014
Budget cuts force one in ten UK museums to sell off parts of collections
BY Tom Anstey
A new survey from the Museums Association has shown that around one in every 10 UK museums are being forced to consider selling off parts of their collections to balance the books due to funding cuts.
The annual Cuts Survey revealed that because of dwindling budgets, more than a third of museums have seen a decrease in school visits, while a quarter of museums reported reducing the number of free events and temporary exhibitions, and in some cases, museums have closed their doors to the public altogether.
Earlier this year, Northampton Museum was stripped of its funding and accreditation after it sold an Egyptian statue in its permanent collection to a private buyer for £15m (US$25m, €18.8m). The “financially motivated disposal” of the statue was deemed to have contravened the Museums Association's Code of Ethics, resulting in its loss of Arts Council England (ACE) accreditation. The new report warns that as other museums consider doing similar things to stay afloat, there is a risk that the case may not be an isolated example.
The survey also discovered that 52 per cent of museums experienced a drop in income over the last year – the highest percentage to report a drop since 2011 – with local authority run museums and national institutions the worst hit.
“We know there is huge pressure on public funding but it is very worrying that museums are being forced to consider drastic action to stave off the impact of cuts,” said Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association.
“Once objects and collections are sold it is likely that they will be lost to the public forever. Our museums have proved incredibly resilient over the past few years, they account for a tiny proportion of public spending yet they have a huge impact in terms of learning, enjoyment, health and wellbeing and we need them now more than ever.”
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