Art Fund and MA issue advocacy points ahead of the General Election 3 Dec 2019

Ahead of publication of the party manifestos, the Art Fund and Museums Association have each published a concise list of requests for the next Government to better support the museum sector. The Art Fund says it has also been talking to representatives of political parties about these issues. There is a large degree of overlap between the two manifestos, which highlight:

• The need for funds for maintenance and repair to museums after a decade of cuts. Art Fund welcomed £125m announced last month for the Cultural Investment Fund but said it would take sustained investment over a longer period. The MA called for increased investment across all four UK nations.
• Art Fund also said that museums make a strong contribution to community cohesion and should be able to make bids to the Future High Streets and Stronger Towns funds.
• Both call for a simplification of tax reliefs and removal of the sunset clause from the Museums and Galleries Exhibition Tax Relief. Art Fund would like to see investment in regional awareness so more museums can grow collections through the Acceptance in Lieu and Cultural Gifts Schemes.
• Both call for the continued participation by UK museums in European programmes, including Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe, arguing it would damage museums’ reputations as ‘world-leading institutions’ if they were unable to do so.
• Art Fund continued to advocate for the reform of the UK’s Export Licensing System to create a more predictable process for acquiring nationally significant works of art.

Art Fund, Museums Journal, Gov.uk (Export Licensing System consultation)