Public Servant Lifestyle

Free access to museums: “it’s a no-brainer” says culture body.

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is excited that the issue of access to museums has been championed by the media. We are grateful for continued government support for free access to national and university museums and galleries and we welcome the broad political consensus to continued free entry.

Visitor figures are up, nationally and regionally. Regional museums welcomed over 13 million people in 2005/06, with almost a million new visits from communities identified as hard-to-reach. The figures are even more impressive when looking at ethnic minority attendance which grew by 18% from 2002/03 to 2005/06.

16.8 Million

Overall, 16.8 million adults, that’s 42% of the adult population in England, visited one of our museums at least once in 2006/07. Almost half of those visitors are aged 25-44.

The universal support for free access sets the foundations for the future. MLA Council wants as many people as possible to benefit from the country’s museums.

Hedley Swain, Head of Museum Policy at MLA says, “We should never forget that museums are a vital foundation to British life. It’s an absolute no-brainer that as many people as is possible should have free access to our wonderful public collections. The challenge for us is to find greater and more innovative ways to maximise access to the nation’s treasures”.

Hedley continued: “Research shows that those visiting museums as children are more likely to return as adults. Museums play a vital part in keeping us in touch with our culture, our heritage and our past. Not only are they educational, they’re also places of great fun and discovery.”

The MLA and the nine regional agencies work in partnership to provide strategic direction and leadership for museums, libraries and archives across England. Together these agencies work to improve people’s lives by building knowledge, supporting learning, inspiring creativity and celebrating identity. The Partnership acts collectively for the benefit of the museums and library sector and the public, leading the transformation of museums, libraries and archives for the future. For more information about the work of the MLA and the 'Designation' scheme, visit The Museum's, Libraries & Archives Council website.

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