Alistair Hardaker | Image: Amanda Harman
The Annual Museum Survey finds 69% of English museums receive local authority support, with the share describing themselves as “local authority reliant” rising to 17%.
Local authority support for museums in England has risen, with 69% now receiving investment or support from councils, according to the Annual Museum Survey.
The survey, from Museum Development South West and funded by Arts Council England, suggets that the proportion of museums describing themselves as “local authority reliant” rose from 12% last year to 17%.
Buildings, funding and facilities are the most common forms of support, with the provision of local authority-owned buildings for smaller museums, and a third of ‘micro museums’ operating in local authority buildings.
Among museums receiving local authority support, 40% receive it from a town or parish council, rising to 53% among those with fewer than 10,000 visitors. Of the 38% of museums that reported receiving project grant funding in 2025/26, 29% received funding from a local authority.
Median income rose 25%, from £99,431 in 2024/25 to £124,170 in 2025/26, though expenditure also rose, from £125,254 to £154,656, meaning median expenditure exceeded median income in both years.
The survey also found regional disparity, with median visitor levels at 24,200 a year in the North, compared with just over 9,000 in the South East and South West.
Grant funding also varied, with the median project grant at £12,500 in the Midlands, £59,236 in London and £39,181 in the North. The national median was £19,850.
Emmie Kell, director of museums and cultural property at Arts Council England, said the findings “show both resilience and real pressure: visitor numbers remain above pre-pandemic levels and more museums are receiving local authority support, while rising costs and challenges around staffing and volunteering continue to be felt.”
Victoria Harding, programme manager at Museum Development South West, said: “This year’s findings tell a story of a sector that continues to work incredibly hard for its communities. Visitor numbers are beginning to settle after several years of recovery following closures during to the pandemic, but the picture varies considerably between museums. While some larger museums are feeling pressures around staffing and volunteering, there are also positive signs of resilience. Understanding the relationship between museums and local authorities is especially important to the resilience of the sector and the communities they serve.”
The survey, operated with PS Research in collaboration with Museum Development England, recorded a 12% increase in participation on the previous year.
