Why museums must stay free

Senior figures from politics, education and the arts leapt to defend free admission to Britain's most famous museums and galleries after a senior Tory suggested that charges could be reintroduced.

The campaigners hailed the success of free access to museums, which has attracted an extra 30 million people to the nation's great artistic and cultural collections since admission charges were scrapped six years ago. It followed a campaign by The Independent to end charges.

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Hugo Swire, the shadow Culture Secretary, faced a storm of criticism after suggesting that the proceeds of charges at museums and galleries could be used to fund new facilities.

He was quoted in a Sunday newspaper saying the Conservatives might consider relaxing the current ban on charges. "We do not want to ban free admissions, but we believe museums and galleries should have the right to charge if they wish to,' he told The Mail on Sunday.

"They could use the money to make their facilities even better and could have special arrangements allowing continued free access for children, students and others."

But Mr Swire, a former head of development at the National Gallery and director of the art auctioneers Sotheby's, was forced to make a humiliating U-turn within hours amid a backlash from MPs and senior figures from education and British cultural life.

Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, reacted angrily to the idea of rolling back free admission and said that the effect on children in particular could be disastrous.

"Free access means that every child can benefit from the treasure chest contained within museums regardless of the depth of the parental pocket," he said.

"History, art, geography, so many subjects are enlivened by being able to go to a museum and see and touch the exhibitions. To reintroduce charges will restrict these opportunities and will make the learning of these subjects a less rich experience."

Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, denounced Mr Swire. She said: "This would be a seriously regrettable step if the Tories were to go down this road. It would be unpopular and would penalise people from all walks of life.

"Our national museums and galleries perform an enormously useful role for families across the United Kingdom and it's right that admission to them should not be limited simply to those who can pay. In cultural policy terms it's one of the most significant achievements we have made and one of which I am most proud."

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrat culture spokesman, added: "Yet again the Tories have shown their true Thatcherite colours. Free entry has opened our national galleries and museums to everyone, and its removal would be a huge backward step."

Conservative party officials moved quickly to dampen the row yesterday, claiming the shadow Culture Secretary was referring only to the party's last election manifesto.

Mr Swire said later: "It is not our policy to bring back admission fees to museums and galleries and we are committed to the principle of free admission.

"We have instigated a wide-ranging review of arts policy under the stewardship of Sir John Tusa [and] we await [his] recommendation before we announce any policy on the arts."

But not everybody yesterday disagreed with Mr Swire's initial comments. "I don't understand why society assumes that one part of our culture should be free," said Dinos Chapman, one half of the Turner nominated art duo the Chapman Brothers. "I think if you have free entry into galleries and museums you should have free entry for the cinema and football games. Galleries should be full of people who want to look at art. I think you should pay for your pleasure."

Entrance fees to national museums across the country were officially scrapped on 1 December 2001 but the idea formed one of New Labour's first election pledges. In 1997, a number of museums, including the British Museum, said they were considering charging visitors to permanent exhibitions in order to meet spiralling costs.

The National Arts Collections Fund warned that unless more money was found others would follow "like a falling house of cards" prompting widespread fear that free entry into the country's national museums would become a thing of the past.

In response The Independent led a campaign, backed by some of Britain's most prominent artists including David Hockney and Bridget Riley, calling on the Government to stick to their election promises and introduce free admissions for all of the country's national museums. When the Government finally abolished entry charges it turned Britain into a nation of exhibition addicts.

A report last year by the LSE found that before free admissions the total number of museum visits per year was approximately 27 million. By 2005 that had increased to 42 million, more than the number of people who visited Premiership matches that year and 50 per cent more than West End and Broadway theatre shows combined.

Those museums that abandoned entry charges saw their annual attendance figures did particularly well, recording, on average, an 83 per cent increase in visits since 2001.

But despite the government grants that have enabled museums to cut their entry fees many national museums are still finding it hard to make ends meet, particularly as their income has not been rising as fast as staff costs and inflation.

The LSE's report found that national museums show a falling total of capital expenditure and an increased reliance on government support.

Free entry has boosted attendance figures

Housed in the oldest railway passenger buildings in the world, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester has seen the numbers of visitors skyrocket since it introduced free admission for its permanent collections.

Dr Ian Griffith, the museum's director, explained what a difference free admissions had made. "The return of free admission revolutionised modern museums - it really does break down the barriers of access," he said. I firmly believe we should try and keep admission free for as long as possible.

"Before free admission, we used to charge between £4 for children and £6 for an adult and, while we tried to keep the entry fee low, it did put people off. The number of visitors virtually doubled in the first year after free admissions were introduced and we've tried to sustain that year on year. Our average annual attendance each year before entry was made free was around 210,000. Last year, 410,000 came through our doors and this year we hope to break the half-million barrier. In places like Manchester, which has some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the country, we've really seen a noticeable increase in the diversity of our visitors as well.

"The majority of our visitors live a two-hour drive away, but as Manchester develops and if free admission continues we'll see more and more people from further afield. Last year, we had 67,000 children from organised school trips.

"People often wonder where our next generation of scientists and artists will come from and I truly believe museums play an essential role in inspiring children to pursue such careers.

"I'm sure I'd never have become a scientist had my parents not taken me to museums as a child. I was born in the 1960s into the sort of working-class family that really appreciated free entry into museums. I remember my dad took me to the Science Museum in London simply because it was a cheap day out in an expensive city, but thanks to that visit I became very excited about science and went on to get a PhD."