City museums to close on more days as cuts deepen
Opening hours reduced as council budget put under severe pressure
CULTURE chiefs in Edinburgh have decided to close museums more often as part of a bid to alleviate severe financial pressure on the city council’s budget.
On the day the council’s culture committee said it would investigate the controversy surrounding the closure of the “much-loved and deeply valued” Inverleith House at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh (RBGE), the committee also considered a report which details the city-wide museum opening hour changes.
The changes to opening hours, which sees overall a cut, were made as part of the major cost-cutting in the city.
At this stage, insiders say, the reduction in opening hours is the preferred option over closing one or some cultural venues permanently or charging fees.
The council report said the council spends £1.8 million on its museums and galleries, or 0.19 per cent of its budget, and in 2014/15 they attracted 916,000 visits.
However, from this month, major museums and gallery spaces run by the city will be closed for more time, mainly during week days, as part of its “transformation plan”, a part of the city’s multi-millionpound cuts.
The highest-profile venues affected include the City Art Centre, which will close on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the Museum of Childhood, which will close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The Scott and Nelson Monuments days will not see changes, but the Writers Museum, People’s Story Museum, Museum of Edinburgh and Queensferry Museum will all be closed for two weekdays.
A council spokeswoman said: “The new opening hours at our museums and galleries bring these venues in line with heavy footfall days like the weekends so it benefits our customers.
“They were implemented following extensive consultation with staff and feedback from visitors and users.”
TheMuseums and Galleries Update Report says: “The changes will be monitored over the coming year and a future report will be brought to this committee on the impact of the changes.”
Richard Lewis, convenor for culture and sport, said it was very unlikely the city could take on any more financial burden, such as funding to Inverleith House, but acknowledged the issue had caused concern in the artistic community.
He added: “We will have a meeting and see if there is anything we can do.”
It is now expected that a major report into the future of Inverleith House, prepared for the RBGE by Kelly and Company and funded by Creative Scotland cash, will be posted online by the Gardens in the near future.
The culture committee noted “with concern” the decision to close Inverleith House and it said a meeting was being scheduled to take place between the City of Edinburgh Council and the RGBE.
Senior officers of the council will write a report for the culture committee, which meets again in December, “outlining RGBE’s rationale for withdrawing support for what has been a much-loved and deeply valued public arts space in Edinburgh for well over half a century”.
‘‘ Impact on visitor numbers will be monitored, it is anticipated that opening all venues on Saturday and Sundays will offset closures during the week.