Pre-Budget Focus On Skills And Education

HM Treasury's Pre-Budget Report, released yesterday, announced increased funding for the education and skills agenda, although the MLA questions the absence of any mention of the upcoming 2008 Cultural Olympiad.

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) Chief Executive Chris Batt, said, "The MLA welcomes the emphasis the report placed on education although I'm disappointed to see that culture has been given such low priority in the pre-budget report. The sector has valued the significant government support to date. Any cuts will have a resounding impact on access, education programmes and support for collections.

There is so much more to do to meet the challenge of the Olympics, particularly with the Cultural Olympiad starting in 2008. We want our sector to play a key role in presenting and promoting the country to the millions of visitors who will come here, giving them an experience to remember."

The government's £150 million investment in Renaissance, a transformational programme for regional museums, costs each adult in England only 60 pence a year. It has drastically changed the way museums engage with the public through their collections and we have seen over 13 million visitors to regional museums in 2003-04 alone. Museum visits by children with their schools increased by nearly 19% over the past three years. 66% of the population regularly use museums, libraries and archives each year. -- www.mla.gov.uk