An industry body said there has been “decades of underinvestment” in museums as a new report shows 17% of organisations believe their facility is at risk of closure in the next 12 months.
A survey compiled by Museums Galleries Scotland was presented to MSPs at the Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee on Tuesday as part of scrutiny preceding the Scottish Government’s Budget 2027-28.
Some 11% of organisations told the survey two years ago that they felt their museum was at risk of closing within 12 months.
Lucy Casot, chief executive officer at Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “Two years on, the survey results – of which we haven’t published the survey in full yet – but we’ve got some headlines, one of which is that 17% of museum organisations now believe that a venue that they run is at risk of closure in the next 12 months, and that is a very serious position that we need to grapple with.”
She continued: “The other figure there … is 40% of organisations have less than three months of reserves, or three months or less of reserves.”
Ms Casot also said there has been challenges in relation to maintenance of museum buildings.
She said: “Museums are very often in historic buildings, 52% of organisations are not on top of their regular maintenance, you’re seeing that build-up of challenge there, and 38% of museums and stores are in either a poor or bad condition, and that’s really serious for organisations that are caring for our national collections on behalf of the people of Scotland, and obviously all the activity that happens in there.
“There’s been decades of underinvestment that’s been hollowing out those services and I think that’s really serious.”
Like all elastic bands, it will reach a breaking point. And, certainly, from the national performing company perspective, we are approaching that point now
Liam Sinclair, executive director and co-chief executive at the National Theatre of Scotland, said the theatre sector was also nearing a “breaking point”.
He said: “I’ve used previously the analogy of an elastic band. I think culture is incredible; it’s stretching out resource and making things work.
“But like all elastic bands, it will reach a breaking point. And, certainly, from the national performing company perspective, we are approaching that point now.
“In fact, we’re already in that point where the strain on that elastic band is showing.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Museums and galleries are an essential part of the cultural footprint of Scotland. We are investing in them to ensure their continued success.
“The Museums Futures Programme is a great example of this. It received £4 million in continued funding for 2026-27 to drive innovation in the sector, allow for more collaboration between galleries and museums, and upskill staff so that these vital institutions can be on the front foot.
“A total of 262 cultural organisations currently benefit from the stability of multi-year funding – including many theatres and performing arts venues – thanks to Scottish Government investment in the culture and creative sector. This is more than double those which received grants under Creative Scotland’s previous core funding arrangements.
“We will continue to fund the internationally acclaimed work of our National Performing Companies in 2026-27 with a view to providing additional funding in future financial years as part of the commitment towards an additional £100 million support for culture.
“Last year they shared an uplift of £1 million, following an increase of £700,000 the previous year. That’s up 9.4% since 2023-24, taking funding to almost £25 million shared across the five companies.”