Views from the Independent Museum & Galleries sector on local cultural decision making

Insight Paper

Partners

Art Fund

Author

Kate Wafer (Wafer Hadley)

Editor

Trevor MacFarlane (Culture Commons)

Description

This insight paper presents perspectives from independent museum leaders across the UK on the impact of devolution and local decision-making on their institutions. Based on a roundtable convened by Art Fund and supplemented by sector research, it reveals the highly variable nature of relationships between museums and local authorities — from supportive to non-existent — and the fragility created by political churn and financial instability. Participants highlighted the dual pressures of diminishing local funding and rising public expectation, while also recognising opportunities emerging from regional structures that value culture strategically. The paper calls for more stable partnerships between museums and local government, greater recognition of their civic role, and clearer integration of museums within devolved policy frameworks as key contributors to education, wellbeing and local identity.

Published as part of The Future of Cultural Devolution in the UK.

June 2024