Museums 'must merge or close'

The lottery has helped the growth of British museums

The UK has too many museums and some must merge or face closure, according to research.

The National Lottery has helped finance a period of considerable growth for Britain's museums.

But a study by the Policy Studies Institute indicates that many are now struggling to attract visitors, pay staff or look after their collections.

Less than 1% of the money allocated by the Heritage Lottery Fund to museums has gone on cataloguing or conserving collections.

Local authority museums in particular have suffered cuts in their budgets.

Independent museums are earning less from visitors in the face of competition from other attractions - including those funded by the lottery.

Budget cuts

The director of the East Midlands Museum Service in Nottingham, Adrian Babbidge, has warned of museums entering a spiral of decline, with less money for exhibitions and marketing resulting in fewer visitors, reduced cost-effectiveness and further budget cuts.

"A coherent national museums' policy is now essential, for without one it will be impossible to test what should be saved and what should go," he said.

In the latest issue of the Policy Studies Institute's journal Cultural Trends, Mr Babbidge argues that the government should persuade regional museums to merge.

But Maurice Davies, deputy director of the Museums' Association, believes the picture is not so bleak.

In a commentary in Cultural Trends, he said: "There may be a short-term problem of declining revenue support, due largely to an overall squeeze in local government spending, but the picture is very mixed.

"The lottery is bringing resources undreamt of just five years ago and as a result, dozens of museums are brighter, better and more popular than ever."