Nottingham Council moots museum charges

Free entry to Nottingham’s Natural History Museum could be scrapped under proposals being considered by Nottingham City Council.

The BBC reports that council-owned Grade I listed Wollaton Hall, which hosts the museum, could start charging an entry fee.

As part of its budget proposals, the local authority plans to set up a charitable development trust and exhibitions company to help the authority make savings and bring in more money to run its museum service.

Sam Lux, the council’s executive member for carbon reduction, leisure, and culture, said, “[Charging] will allow us to invest properly in the building.

“We know anecdotally from other authorities that if those kinds of really expensive beautiful buildings don’t get the investment they need, they often become dilapidated and are forced to close in the long run.”