Council plans to cut museum budgets in the coming year are a “false economy” which will damage Bristol’s post-pandemic recovery, says an independent charity.

Council members vote on Tuesday, 15th March on proposed budget cuts that include a swingeing £243,00 cut for the Museums & Archives Service, which represents more than 10 per cent of the funding for Bristol’s museums, galleries and archives.

While the Council claims there will be “no impact on front line services” the Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives (FBMGA) says the cuts would dramatically reduce the museums & archives’ ability to function.

The Friends Group says of the city’s Museum services:

• They are important for the city's mental health and wellbeing, not only culturally, but simply as safe spaces for people concerned about venturing out post-Covid.

• Damage to museums is damage to the education of local children at a time when a balanced and informed knowledge of Bristol's past is more important than ever.

• At a time when families across the city are facing serious financial stress, the city’s museums offer family-friendly outings free of charge.

Chair of the independent charity group, Sue Thurlow, said: “The cuts will inevitably reduce the ability of the museums to put on big and successful exhibitions which bring visitors from the local area and beyond, such as the current Grayson Perry’s Art Club and the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

“The museums and galleries are vital to Bristol's post-pandemic recovery, bringing people back into the city and attracting high-spending visitors to Bristol.

“We fully understand the need to make budget savings at a time when many of our citizens are facing real financial hardship, and that councillors are facing really difficult choices in allocating scarce resources, but cuts to museums and galleries are a false economy which will affect the range and quality of services they can offer.

“The Council must reconsider these planned cuts because the damage caused to the museums and archives will be felt across the city and beyond for years to come.”