Museums across Norfolk could reduce hours amid budget cuts
10 museums including the Ancient House Museum in Thetford, Norwich Castle and Lynn Museum, may have to cut back.
Last updated 2nd Nov 2022
Museum opening hours across Norfolk could be cut in response to budgetary pressures.
Displays could close earlier with Covid impacts, reduced public funding and a possible cut to Art Council cash all blamed.
This comes as Norfolk’s museums service expects to overspend this year’s budget by £850,000 – almost 40pc over its approved £2.28m budget.
The service has 10 museum sites across the county, including the Ancient House Museum in Thetford, Norwich Castle and Lynn Museum.
Addressing members of Norfolk’s joint museum committee, Steve Miller, the head of Norfolk Museums service, said: “The vast majority of that overspend is being driven out by a shortfall in visitor income, particularly ticket income.
“There’s a secondary knock-on for retail and catering.”
He told Friday’s committee that factors include older visitors not returning to pre-pandemic levels, fewer people wanting to come in the hot summer weather and Norwich Castle is considered a “building site”.
Mr Miller said he did not believe that cost of living pressures factored into the shortfall but that may become an issue next year.
Overspending budgets is not the only issue the service faces, Mr Miller said there was a “significant” risk that Norfolk may not get as much funding from the Arts Council England (ACE) – a government culture body – this year.
“If we do not get that funding at all it is very serious indeed, we would have to sit down and work out what the implications are for staff numbers, for programmes and for our sites,” Mr Miller said.
“The best scenario is we get standstill funding, and we would be thrilled with that, but in reality, it would be a real terms cut.”
The museums service will find out how much cash it will get from ACE on Friday.
He described budget reductions as a “harsh reality” the service has faced for years.
He said: “Options that we have to consider and have considered in the past are reductions in opening hours so not necessarily closures or off-loading a museum.”
The museum head was more positive about visitors returning next year.
He anticipated that an exhibition for the Gloucester shipwreck next year will be “one of the most sought-after blockbuster exhibitions we’ve ever done”.