Museum Wales: First Minister Vaughan Gething defends cuts

Vaughan Gething became first minister in March

The first minister has defended cuts to Wales' national museum.

At a press conference in Ebbw Vale on Monday, Vaughan Gething offered no immediate help for Museum Wales, which has warned it may shut its prestigious Cardiff site.

Mr Gething said it was a consequence of making the NHS a priority after a decade of austerity. He said the Welsh government faced "difficult choices".

The museum said at the weekend it is axing 90 jobs.

Opposition parties called for Mr Gething to step in and assist the institution.

Museum Wales' chief executive Jane Richardson said on Sunday that it could be forced to close one of its best known buildings, National Museum Cardiff, because of its deteriorating condition.

In a statement released the next day, Museum Wales said it currently has no plans to close National Museum Cardiff.

"However, the deterioration to the roof of the museum is significant," the statement said.

"We're therefore in discussions with Welsh government to secure capital funding specifically for building maintenance."

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In a bid to prop up the NHS and Transport for Wales the Welsh government has made cuts to most other areas of its budget.

Museum Wales has had a £3m reduction in its grant, but says that because it continues to incur a year-on-year deficit of £1.5m it had to address a total deficit of £4.5m by the of March.

It has a £90m repair backlog across its sites - the organisation runs seven national museums.

Museum Wales has warned it may have to close its Cardiff site

Speaking at Coleg Gwent in Ebbw Vale, Mr Gething said: "When we set out in our budget our priorities that we would prioritise health and social care and local government, that meant that there were much more difficult choices to make across the range of government.

"If the NHS is really is our priority and we're going to invest in it, you can't have that consequence free for every other area of public life."

He said it "really does highlight the need to have a different settlement at a UK level".

The UK government provides most of the Welsh government's funding - Welsh government often says it does not receive enough to provide the services it funds.

"I'd like to see a future where the National Museum in Cardiff is able to do the work required on the building and deliver an excellent service," he said.

He added: "We need to think about how the whole national museum has an offer, that is understood, that people know about, and that people take advantage of.

"We can and should still have ambition for what our national museum and galleries can provide."

In his first press conference since he became first minister, Mr Gething indicated that resolving rows with doctors and farmers, and helping steel workers, were his early priorities.

He said: "I've met with the BMA helping to postpone NHS strikes. I've met with farming unions to discuss their concerns for the future, and I've met with steel workers to understand the challenges that we face together.

"These meetings should send a clear message on what my early priorities are and areas that I recognise [need] urgent attention."

Mr Gething became first minister after beating Jeremy Miles in the Labour leadership contest, which ended last month.

Plaid Cymru's culture spokesperson, Heledd Fychan, said: "The irony is that while Starmer pleads that a UK Labour government will end the war on culture - their track record in Wales says the opposite."

She said the minister responsible for funding Museum Wales, the new Welsh Culture Secretary Lesley Griffiths, "must fully grasp the seriousness of the situation and take urgent action to safeguard our national collections, and the workforce that cares for them".

Tom Giffard, Conservative shadow minister for culture, said: "It's frankly very rich for a Labour First Minister to talk about priorities.

"Funding does have to be prioritised, and tough choices have to be made, which is why it's all the more frustrating to see the Labour Welsh Government spend so much on their vanity projects, while one of our flagship museums falls into ruin."

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