I WAS surprised by the contempt shown by York Museums Trust for the cross-party unanimity of the leisure, culture and tourism committee to defer a decision to allow charging residents to access our collections, most of which have been generously donated to the city.

Yet City of York Council may have encouraged the Trust to act against the interests of residents. Assistant director Charlie Croft revealed an understanding that YMT had with the then administration to end free access for residents before the art gallery reopened.

Also the full council executive should have made this key decision, but officers’ legal advice prevented this.

On Saturday, we walked into York’s beautiful new art gallery with councillors and our MP Rachael Maskell to uphold the principle of free access for residents. Stunning world-class displays, but I won’t pay to visit again.

The reopening of our art gallery should have been a celebration for the people of York, and the crowning achievement to the career of Dr Janet Barnes on her retirement as chief executive of YMT. Instead it became a popular demonstration against elitist exclusion.

Colin Hall, Tower Place, York

 

I TOOK part in the protest about entry charges to York Art Gallery and it’s true that, as your paper states, it was a “light-hearted protest”.

Yet underneath there was real sadness that access to the gallery will be severely restricted by the entrance charges.

I used to take friends and family there when they came to York, and I’m certain that they won’t want to pay so much to go in. They are not wealthy, and tend to do cheap or free things here, such as visit the Railway Museum.

I urge York Museums Trust to find other ways to fund the gallery, including asking for greater voluntary contributions from visitors who can afford it.

Pip Shippey, Moorland Road, York

 

THE art gallery and museums for free, or year round green bins? One of the speakers at the scrutiny committee meeting last week put this challenge to the council.

Janet Barnes, of York Museums Trust, said in her explanation of charging she understood the council was having to choose between the grant to the Trust and support for elderly people’s care.

But maintaining a green bin collection all year round will cost £1 million next year and every year thereafter.

Would this sum not be of wider benefit supporting the Trust shortfall and enabling York residents to retain free admission to the museums and art gallery?

Cllr Janet Looker (Labour), Clifton Green, York

 

CHARGING anybody – not just residents– £7.50 to visit York Art Gallery is absurdly unrealistic.

It’s a charming provincial gallery, not the Louvre. It’ll now be a charming empty provincial gallery. Which will leave the York Museums Trust with some serious questions to answer.

Why spend big on a refurbishment when you know you’re facing a daunting funding shortfall?

Why did the YMT hold a public meeting about the new entry charge that was quite clearly going to go against them, then ignore the inevitable result?

The council needs to get it through their heads that culture and heritage are key to York’s prosperity as a city.

Cynics predicted the trusts that have proliferated in local government were nothing more than convenient ways for councils to dodge the fallout from cutting essential services. This is exactly what’s happened. Culture is crucial to York’s survival. Yet it is being sliced to the bone using these trusts as a smokescreen.

Do the people running York have a clue as to what they are in charge of? It is unique historic treasure, a priceless cultural jewel, and they are trying to run it like Selby. Unbelievable.

Gavin Baddeley, Holgate, York

 

READING letters criticising proposed introduction of visitor charges at York Art Gallery made me realise how important the arts are to our well being and our cultural and economic development.

It is more than a question of just having free access to see pretty pictures. All the arts (fine art, literature, performing arts and other media) contribute hugely to the UK economy.

Last year the Department of Culture, Media and Sport estimated this arts benefit at over £8 million an hour.

Creativity allows scientific and technological thinking to flourish. Picasso’s cubist paintings made Nils Bohr realise that he had to look at atoms and electrons from lots of different directions to have a better understanding of what was going on. Stents owed a lot to Japanese origami and heart pacemakers to the metronome.

Artful thinking is beneficial to us all.

Subsidised access to the arts and better funding in schools are markers of a society serious about improving and increasing cultural and economic capital for all our futures. Who knows what new ideas and future advances will be stifled without maximising this access for everyone, no matter what their ability to pay.

Martin Braund, Heworth, York

 

YORK’S beautifully configured and newly opened art gallery is a triumph of resolution and design. It is another jewel in York’s crown.

However, the newly introduced admission charges are a shambles.

The question of charging has never had a public airing, is deemed by the council to be unlawful and charges have already altered once since people were encouraged to buy the new YMT card.

The whole charging policy leaves a bad taste on what would otherwise have been a Yorkshire Day to celebrate.

Margaret Beech, New Forge Court, Haxby