"Starmer’s team also wants to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport — splitting it between the business department, the education department and the Treasury — allowing them to fire Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state." Wrote Tim Shipman, Chief Political Commentator in the Times on Saturday 03 May, 2025.
The changes under consideration are part of a “zero-based” review being undertaken by the UK Government, which will see every budget line across all departments scrutinised from scratch ahead of the Spending Review on 11 June.
DCMS directly funds 15 national museums and galleries, along with the Historic England and the British Library, and development agencies including Arts Council England (ACE).
ACE, which is currently undergoing a review itself, administers core funds to nearly 1,000 further organisations, including more than 223 separate museum sites, via its National Portfolio.
There is a feeling in the culture sector that DCMS has been left weakened by a succession of shortlived ministerial appointments, with 13 culture secretaries serving in the role under successive governments since 2010.
“We very much hope the rumours are not true,” said Sharon Heal, director of the Museums Association. “Having a seat at the cabinet table for culture has been a positive for museums and has led to policies such as free admission for national museums and to a better understanding of the role and benefit of museums across government.
“We need a clear strategic direction for museums in England to support them to deliver for and with their communities and this will be best achieved by a department and ministers that have a clear focus on the challenges and opportunities that our sector faces.”
Art historian and former shadow DCMS advisor Bendor Grosvenor called on the government to “radically reform DCMS” instead, in order to ensure the department is “more politically valuable”.
To read the full article in the Museums Journal, follow the link here.
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