Lottery money awarded to museums and galleries may make admission charges inevitable, according to the latest issue of Cultural Trends, because so much is spent on glamorous major building projects and so little on essential work such as conservation, documentation and services for the public, including widening access.

Cultural Trends 28, published by the Policy Studies Institute, shows that 73% of the £294m lottery funding which had been awarded to museums and galleries up to the end of 1996 is being spent on new building projects. Such schemes are regarded by many museum directors as ‘a surefire way of creating future running costs’ which may not prove sustainable in the long-term, according to a survey conducted for this issue.

‘Unless there are major changes, the only way such projects can be sustained will be through admission charges’ says Sara Selwood, editor of Cultural Trends.

Among the key findings:

• Up until the end of 1996, lottery funding for museums and galleries had provided £215m for new building; £52m for refurbishment and equipment; £28m for acquisitions and commissions; £141,000 for research and £71,000 for feasibility studies. Only about five per cent was spent on vital activities such as conservation and documentation.

• Lottery funding was not, however, distributed evenly. Nearly 70% of the total sum was spent in London, and over half went to just twelve of the capital’s museums and galleries which are already sponsored by the Department for Culture Media and Sport. No awards were made for new building, refurbishment or equipment in Northern Ireland and nothing was spent on new building, acquisitions or commissions in the North of England.

• A survey of museum council directors, museums and funders revealed worries that lottery awards would encourage museums to apply for funding for capital projects which would incur greatly increased running costs and which could not be financed in the long-term. The lottery funders’ emphasis on highly ‘visible’ projects was also considered to be problematic, contributing to the development of tourism and employment more than the fundamental practices of museums.

• Ten of the top 25 most deprived areas in the UK received no money from the lottery to spend on museums and galleries. As much as 95% of the total funding for the remaining 15 went to national museums and galleries already supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in eight areas: Southwark, Hackney, Liverpool, Lewisham, Greenwich, Camden, Kensington and Chelsea and Bradford.

• The government is being asked to make vital decisions despite a lack of reliable figures about museum attendances. Existing research is ambiguous and contradictory. The DOMUS database, maintained by the Museums and Galleries Commission, suggests that museum attendance fell by a third between 1993 and 1995. However, another survey, conducted for the British Tourist Authority and English Tourist Board, suggests that visitor numbers remained practically constant over this period.

• DOMUS shows that the number of museums which charge admission prices remained constant from 1993 to 1996 (at 44%). However, this masks regional disparities. Despite the fact that a fifth of UK museums are based in Scotland, they represent only 7% of all charging museums. The majority of museums which charge visitors to their main collections are based in the south of England and in the Midlands.

Contact: Neil Churchill on 0171 468 2236 (office)

1. Cultural Trends 28 is available from Grantham Books on 01476 541 080, priced £17.95.

2. PSI is a registered educational charity (no. 313819) and has no association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.