local museums face funding cuts

[DrFilth]

strange how we can give millions away in aid to other countries yet find none for some ot our excellent museums at home

http://www.guardian.c...ums-funding-cuts-dcms

[jake-the-peg]

Been to one of our excellent local museums recently?

The National Coal Mining museum perhaps?

How about the pencil museum in the Lake district?

One of the people running a local attreaction was on the radio the other day saying "why should we have to compete with subsidised or free attractions?"

He has a point don't you think?

[mike11111]

"He has a point don't you think?"

Is this the chap from the pencil museum?

[DrFilth]

have you been to the museum of science and industry in manchester jake
excellent day out for all the family

this link above is from the guardian so it must be true

[Mosaic]

When you look at the wages given to folk working in museums across the land - whether private charities or council-run - it's a miracle they keep going. The sad fact is, there is no law to say an area has to have a museum (unlike a library), so they're an easy target for council cuts.
When you set this alongside the weary condition that school history teaching is now in, it makes me worry about the future. It's very easy to manipulate an 'electorate' who don't know what those in power got up to in the past.
BTW Jake, yes, been to both of them......

[jake-the-peg]

Nope - bit out of my way

I can however recommend the excellent Ashmolean in Oxford.

Thing is there are some great local museums like that but there is a lot of dross too!

And why should commercial attractions compete with subsidised ones?

Unless the attractions are *outstandingly* educational I think it's quite hard to justify

[DrFilth]

the museum of science and industry in manchester has hands on exhibits and is to use your words outstandingly educational .for children and adults

[jackthehat]

I think museums ought to raise their own finances, directly from the people who use them, rather than go cap in hand to the government for funding. They need to find independent ways of raising revenue.

If people don't want to use them they shouldn't be forced to contribute to them.