Attendance at York Art Gallery in north-east England has fallen sharply since it began charging admission in 2015. The nearly 60% drop in visitors is a cautionary tale for other regional museums considering similar measures. The museum, which houses an important collection of studio ceramics and Italian Old Master paintings, had 92,000 visitors in 2015/16 compared with 229,000 in 2011/12, the year before it closed for renovations.
The controversial charge was introduced following budget cuts from York City Council. The museum’s annual income from admission totalled £400,000, but this does not make up for the lost council support. (A standard adult ticket is now £7.50, although many visitors have concessions or an annual pass, so the average charge is £4.35.)
A spokesman for York Museums Trust points out that attendance in 2011/12 was exceptional because of major exhibitions; around 160,000 visitors is more typical. He also notes that flooding reduced tourism in the city this year, and that ticket income has helped “bring fantastic art and exhibitions to York”.
A recent survey by the Association of Independent Museums concluded that charging has a negative impact on visitor numbers, “especially in the number of local visitors”. However, the UK-wide survey found that the lower numbers have “no impact on the [social] mix and diversity of visitors”.
Cuts to local government expenditure in recent years have forced other local authority museums to introduce charging, including the Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in 2014 and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery in 2015. The Derby Museums Trust recently considered instituting admission fees at Pickford’s House (a museum of Georgian life), but decided that the anticipated income of £19,000 would not make this worthwhile.
