National museums
Sir: In answer to Lord Montagu's letter (April 22) one can say the Commission on Museums and Galleries appear to have little appeal to the present Government, and it is extremely unlikely that they were consulted about the addition of VAT to admission charges — any more than they were on the original scheme itself.
National Heritage was set up just over a year ago to attempt a task which government policy is making increasingly difficult: to support, encourage and safeguard Britain's museums and galleries, much as the National Trust has safeguarded our stately homes and the countryside, and at the same time, to protect the interest of museum visitors and to give them some voice in policy decisions.
In the controversy on entrance charges, National Heritage has tried hard to be undogmatic. The finances of museums are generally in such a parlous state that we felt no one could rule out some experimental scheme for charging. However, we made it plain that we could not support any scheme in which museums receive insufficient benefit from the very real sacrifices to principle involved.
Recently we have become increasingly concerned that the extremely mild action of various Trustees continuing to exercise their rights of disagreement with the Minister concerned has led to a good deal of unnecessary vilification. This in turn is unhappily (and I hope wrongly) suggesting that a fundamental attack on the position of the Trustees is being mounted.
Certainly one must doubt whether the arguments for charging are so strong that in order to force the matter through the position of the Trustees must be destroyed, and relations embittered, to such an extent that the previous harmonious relationship becomes impossible. It is small wonder, therefore, that the eminent Trustees of both the Tate and National Galleries have called Lord Eccles's impending scheme the most illiberal in Europe (correctly), and have pointed out that concessions have been sparse and grudging. But there is a worse anomaly in the scheme, which has not previously been revealed.
National Heritage members have recently raised sufficient funds to award prizes of £1,000 to this year's winner, and £500 to the runner-up, in what it is hoped will be the first annual Museum of the Year Award. One might have thought members would qualify for exemption, therefore, from en trance charges. In fact, new members joining National Heritage, at an annual cost of £3, will be able to enter museums free — but through no concessions from the Government. We are using our own meagre funds to buy a gift voucher giving free entrance — and a free copy of Museums of Great Britain and Ireland — in order to expand our membership and secure the financial future of such schemes as the Museum of the Year Award.
Yet the Government have found themselves able to allow concessionary entrance to members of the National Art-Collections Fund and the Contemporary Arts Society . . provided their annual membership is increased from £2 to £3. This concession was refused to National Heritage, on the grounds that it may be part of our task to oppose official government policy.
The position, then, is that members joining all three organisations will get free entrance at exactly the same annual cost to themselves. But National Heritage, with the smallest resources, is being made to pay the stiffest price to provide it. Your readers may find this decision somewhat arbitrary and illogical, as well as illiberal; and I hope they will back such feelings by giving us financial support.
John Letts Chairman, Executive Committee National Heritage, Bedford Chambers, London WC2E 8HA
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