Bristol museums could charge for exhibitions
Museum visitors might be charged to see major exhibitions as part as part of a shake-up of the museum service in Bristol.
As previously revealed in the Evening Post, the city council is considering a range of options for the future management of the museums service.
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This would affect all of the city museums, including the forthcoming £26 million M-Shed, the City Museum and Art Gallery, Blaise Castle, Red Lodge, Georgian House and the Bristol Record Office.
Options to be looked at over the next two years include privatisation, trust status, a public/private trust, a partnership with other local authorities and community ownership.
The proposals are included in a series of recommendations by an independent select committee which was set up to consider the future of the museum and archives service.
The recommendations were passed by councillors at a full council meeting last night which will now mean a steering group is set up to take the proposals forward.
But councillors made it clear they wanted free admissions to Bristol's museums to remain.
Deputy leader, Lib Dem Councillor Simon Cook, said: "We want to maintain free entry to our present exhibitions but perhaps charging for temporary exhibitions. If it's a choice between a fantastic exhibition coming to Bristol and having to charge in order to achieve that, then I think we should look at that."
He said the Select Committee had been very impressed with what had been achieved in Glasgow, where the museum service was managed on the council's behalf by a non-profit company.
He said it meant 90 per cent of its collection was available to the public, compared to 60 per cent in Bristol.
He said they should examine the possibility of using bonded warehouses in the docks as storage centres for parts of the museum archive and which could be seen by the public by appointment.
He said this would free up more space in the museums to put on show many more exhibits.
Tory leader Councillor Richard Eddy, who chaired the select committee, said Bristol had a superb collection which had grown during the past 100 years.
He said: "The purpose of the committee was to take stock of what we have and to see how we plan for the future."
The museums service is aiming to reduce the fixed costs of £4.6m it spends on 119 employees and premises by 18 per cent by 2011, the same year the M-Shed is expected to open on the site of the former Industrial Museum.
At the same time, a major source of funding for the service is set to come to an end. A quarter of the museums service's £5.3m income has previously come from the government's Renaissance in the Regions programme, that will run out in 2011.
Councillor Cook said the recommendation over fixed costs was about finding a better balance of spending money, not reducing the budget itself.
The report will now go before the ruling Lib Dem cabinet.
8 Comments
by Matt, Hanham
Thursday, November 12 2009, 12:56PM
“Notwithstanding the fact that BCC received a grant of about £10 million to help build the thing, which is EVERYBODY'S money (which other authorities semi-urban authorities do not receive)Government does not base its contribution to local government based soley on population. It takes into acount the issues which each local authorites. In the case of urban authorities such as Bristol this might be social problems etc. South Glos council reveives far less funding from national govt as a presult of this.”
by resident of south glous, south glous BRISTOL
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 11:30PM
“Sorry i dont want to be under the rule by BCC thank you they cant do anything right for the people of this city
we in south glous pay one of the highest council tax in this country far more than any one in bristol so we pay enough to be able to visit any museum for free just like everyoe else”
by Steve, Glastonbury
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 2:37PM
“Matt, you will find that government money to councils is based on their population thus BCC gets nothing for allowing South Glos to use their facilities.”
by Matt, Hanham
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 1:09PM
“Whilst the current administrative set up of the west of england is far from perfect the notion that BCC rate payers are subsiding other residents who live in the Bristol suburbs is incorrect. Bristol City Council receive a lot more funding from central government than say South Gloucestershire, to take account of the increased pressure for services in the city centre from the surrounding region. Stop being so parochial!!”
by James, South West
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 11:38AM
“Absolutely right about the boundaries, Hedgehog.
Bristol is the only major city in the country whose boundaries have not expanded to keep pace with the burgeoning urban sprawl. In fact, the boundaries remain as they were in the early 1960s.
The official population of 420,000 of the municipal city bears no resemblance to the actual population of the physical 'city' which is well over 600,000.
Apart from anything else it would put paid to the continual squabbles between Bristol City Council and the other former constituents of Avon, particularly South Gloucestershire, when anything affecting the Bristol conurbation as opposed to the municipal city needs to be done.
The most notorious result in recent years is the loss of funding for a tram system because Bristol and South Gloucestershire could not agree on its northern terminus.
Although I believe free admission to museums should remain I am not against charging for certain exhibitions if there is no other way of putting them on.”
by The Hedgehog, Horfield
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 11:18AM
“Well said, Martin.
I'll go further. It's about time Bristol's boundaries were expanded to include the WHOLE built-up area, including Filton, Patchway, Kingswood, and the rest. Why should they get to use our facilities without paying for them?”
by Billy, St annes
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 10:29AM
“to right Martin. why should bristol people subsdise everyone else. Free for BCC tax payers other pay. just bring along a bill to take advantage.”
by Martin, St George
Wednesday, November 11 2009, 8:13AM
“I have already paid my share for the museum. But isn't it time that the ratepayers of Bristol gave up subsidising the residents of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and who treat the city like they live here?”