Lucy Casot (CEO) gives evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture Committee on the impact of the pandemic

During a virtual roundtable, the committee heard from Lucy and others in the cultural sector representing festivals, theatres and live events.

Even with lockdown lifting, cultural venues and events face difficulties operating with reduced capacity and incomes.

Lucy outlined the various funds MGS has made available to support the sector, including the £4 million Museums Recovery and Resilience Fund made possible by Scottish Government support.

Government funding has been crucial in protecting jobs in the sector – but museums now need the ability to plan for their long-term future.

Lucy emphasised the difficulties faced by many museums in opening safely while maintaining physical distancing, with only around a quarter of museums so far open.

Civic museums in particular face a difficult future with the pandemic expected to hit local government finances on top of lost income for museums.

Lucy highlighted to the Committee the need to consider whether current funding arrangements are adequate to ensure a future for all of our museums.

We are grateful to the Committee for the opportunity to present evidence and to the ongoing support of MSPs for our museums and galleries.

MGS will continue to work to ensure museums and galleries receive the attention they need from government.