MA warns of danger of introducing admission charges at free museum.
Speaking on BBC Gloucestershire, incoming MA president Vanessa Trevelyan said: “I worked at the V&A when they were free and they brought in a charge and their visitor numbers fell by 40 per cent, and that’s a fairly standard percentage fall if you’re introducing a charge to a museum that’s hitherto been free.” Her comments follow an announcement that Gloucester City Council will ask its museum service to find around 20 per cent of savings, with the City Museum and Art Gallery’s annual grant reduced from £1m to £800,000, and is “actively considering” admission charges for it and the Folk Museum.
