Britain?s flagship photography institution will lose 15% in Government grants over the next four years as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review, Amateur Photographer can reveal.
Last week the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £81 billion pounds worth of public spending cutbacks.
A spokesman for the National Media Museum (NMM), which is based in Bradford, West Yorkshire told Amateur Photographer today: ?We know that our grant-in-aid will be reduced by around 15% in real terms in stages over the next four years, starting in April.
?We have already been working to prepare for a range of scenarios and to seek efficiencies that can serve to minimise the impact of the cuts.
?Over the next few weeks we will confirm our plans for accommodating this reduction.?
The NMM houses the historic collection of the Royal Photographic Society which includes the earliest surviving negative created by British photography inventor William Henry Fox Talbot.
Its bosses admitted today that a vital part of its future success will be the museum’s ‘ability to continue to attract visitors and generate income’.
Last month the NMM said it already encourages visitors to make donations but insisted it is committed to free entry as government-funded bodies nationwide faced possible budget cuts.
Earlier this year the museum received Government approval to open a base in London, widely rumoured to be located at the Science Museum.
Though there are currently no plans to shelve this project in light of the massive cutbacks, the NMM spokesman added: ‘The National Museum of Science & Industry [of which the NMM is a part] must continue to invest – to make savings, to generate income and to come out of this difficult period stronger and more secure.
‘Many investments are made with money raised in addition to our grant-in-aid from donations and from private and public funding organisations.
‘Raising our capability is a key part of the strategy to secure our future.’
The NMM?s trustees include James Bond film producer and photography collector Michael G Wilson.
