MGS makes case for museum sector funding at Scottish Parliament
On Thursday 12th September MGS CEO Lucy Casot attended the Scottish Parliament to make the case for museum sector funding at the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee’s pre-budget scrutiny for 2025-26.
Questions and topics raised included the importance of museums and galleries to Scotland; funding for museums and galleries of all sizes; the need for a long-term approach to investment; and unlocking cross-portfolio funding for a sector that delivers known impacts across education, health, and wellbeing. A recording of the full session can be found on the Scottish Parliament website.
Addressing the Committee, Lucy highlighted the diverse nature of the museum sector: “We need to value the small museums as we value the large ones, because the interdependencies there that we have are absolutely critical.”
The evidence we submitted to the Committee was informed by the results of our recent sector-wide survey, which revealed that 11% of respondents felt their organisations were at risk of closure in the next 12 months. Our submission highlighted that Scotland’s museums and galleries are in crisis, and require investment to address capacity issues and workforce reductions.
We are conscious that there may be organisations not already on our radar who are experiencing challenges. We encourage you to get in touch with us in confidence to discuss any concerns. You can contact us by email.
Further details about the Committee, including a list of other submissions, is available from the Scottish Parliament website.
