Wales’ national museums are to cut at least 90 jobs after a £4.5 million reduction in their budget. The flagship building in Cardiff could also be forced to close.
Jane Richardson, chief executive of Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum Wales), told BBC Radio Wales on Sunday (14 April) the organisation would “be looking at at least 90 jobs and that has proven to be the case, but we’re still not at a total figure yet”.
Via the BBC, Museum Wales had a £3m reduction in its grant. It also continues to incur a £1.5m year-on-year deficit, and therefore had to address a total £4.5m deficit by the end of March.
A spokesperson for the Welsh government said: “We have been clear our budget is up to £700m less in real terms than when it was set in 2021 and we have had to take extremely difficult decisions.”
Museum Wales has seven sites across the nation, which employ more than 600 staff. Richardson said the museums would start to charge visitors for special events and close earlier in the winter.
As for the condition of National Museum Cardiff, she added: “Unless we’re able to secure more funding for that building that that will have to close.
“But we are really clear as an organisation that that building needs urgent critical work for us to be able to continue opening to the public.”
In a statement released after Richardson’s discussion with BBC Radio Wales, Museum Wales said it has no plans to close the Cardiff institution.
“However, the deterioration to the roof of the museum is significant,” the statement said.
“We’re therefore in discussions with Welsh government to secure capital funding specifically for building maintenance.”
Vaughan Gething, Wales’ first minister defended the budget reduction at a press conference in Ebbw Vale on Monday (15 April), the BBC reports.
Wales’ first minister defends cuts
He said: “When we set out in our budget our priorities that we would prioritise health and social care and local government, that meant that there were much more difficult choices to make across the range of government.
“If the NHS is really is our priority and we’re going to invest in it, you can’t have that consequence free for every other area of public life.”
He added, “I’d like to see a future where the national museum in Cardiff is able to do the work required on the building and deliver an excellent service.”
Plaid Cymru’s culture spokesperson, Heledd Fychan, said: “The irony is that while [Kier] Starmer pleads that a UK Labour government will end the war on culture – their track record in Wales says the opposite.”
She said the new Welsh culture secretary, Lesley Griffiths, “must fully grasp the seriousness of the situation and take urgent action to safeguard our national collections, and the workforce that cares for them”.
Images courtesy of Amgueddfa Cymru
