Museum fees “could make comeback”
Free entrance to museums may become a thing of the past as the recession and funding cuts bite, according to the head of The Art Fund.
London’s Natural History Museum
David Barrie, who campaigned to have charges scrapped in 2001, said it would be “a disastrous backward step” if charges were reintroduced. Admissions are continuing to rise as visitors seek low cost attractions. A spokesman for the Department of Culture denied there were any plans to scrap free museum entrances.
“Free admission to national museums and galleries is the cornerstone of this government’s cultural policy,” he said. “We cannot imagine circumstances where entry admission charges would be introduced again.”
In 2007, the government pledged to guarantee free access to national museums and galleries until at least 2011. Mr Barrie, director of the artistic charity, said a move back to charging museum fees would be “heartbreaking” and he viewed it with the “utmost dismay”.
“I think it’s unquestionably been one of the most helpful developments in government cultural policy in recent decades. Millions of people have benefitted from it,” he added. New research conducted by the Art Fund has found that museum and gallery admissions have risen by 12% in the past six months as holidaymakers choose to stay in the UK.
It also revealed that two-thirds of the 300 cultural institutions questioned have been dealt budget cuts, while private donations have fallen and Lottery funding has been hit by the 2012 Olympics. The charity concluded that healthy visitor figures would not be enough to offset the pressure to reintroduce entrance fees, which were scrapped eight years ago and led to a surge in admissions. bbc.co.uk
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