Museums Trust urges public support to retain the city’s arts and treasures

PROPOSED funding cuts by Birmingham City Council will significantly impact Birmingham’s position as a leading UK and European city for arts and culture, the Birmingham Museums Trust has said.

The trust is now calling on the public to show their support for the facilities ahead of the £500,000 proposed budget cuts to the city’s unique museums and heritage sites.

A number of options to manage the funding reduction are being considered, but the cuts as currently proposed could result in the closure of some of the city’s most important heritage and culture venues, including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Thinktank Science Museum, Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House and Weoley Castle.

Birmingham Museums Trust was formed in 2012 as an independent charity to manage the city’s museum collection for the people of Birmingham on behalf of the council. As the most visited civic collection in England the impact of these cuts on the region’s arts and culture scene would be significant and a public petition has been launched to gather support.

In recent years, Birmingham Museums has led the way in the city with a series of high profile projects and exhibitions such as the new permanent home for the world famous Staffordshire Hoard and the launch of a new Faith in Birmingham gallery.

The Trust has also established national partnerships with the Arts Council Collection and the National History Museum, with BMAG set to welcome the famous Dippy the Dinosaur in 2018.

The £500,000 reduction in funding from April is in addition to a previously agreed £250,000 cut, creating a serious £750,000 shortfall. In the past 10 years, the fee paid to Birmingham Museums by the council to care for the city’s priceless collection has been reduced from £7m to potentially £2.4m if the cuts go ahead.

Birmingham Museums Trust has responded by growing its own self-generated income but these latest cuts may well force the closure of some sites.

Ellen McAdam, Director of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We understand that the city is in a difficult position, but with cuts as severe as these we have no option but to look at reductions in service across all of our sites.

“We want to ensure that Birmingham remains a leading city for arts and culture, and continues to thrive. Birmingham Museums Trust is one of the city’s success stories and we believe that it is vital that Birmingham’s great museums and collection should continue to receive the investment they need so that we can build on this achievement.

“In the face of continued funding reductions, our visitor numbers and earned income are growing strongly and we continue to deliver the Council’s museum service and care for the city’s great collection to a high standard. We hope the public support shown for Birmingham Museums Trust will raise awareness of how detrimental these cuts would be for the city.”

The trust has launched an online petition for people to register their support for its aims

The problem is not just in Birmingham, there has also been a major outcry in Walsall over plans which threaten the future of the city’s famous art gallery.

However, as local authorities everywhere look to cut their cloth according to their means, then a lot of tough decisions will have to be made.