from The Artful Manager
The high cost of being 'free'
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and
from BBC News
Museums count cost of going free
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It is highly perplexing when a progressive cultural policy, such as universal free admission to national museums in England, becomes a victim of its own success. By doing away with admission fees, museums experienced a higher number of visitors never seen before - a 72% increase at the last count since December 2001, when it all started. This unexpected "success" has stretched resources for the maintenance of the museums' displays and premises. Together with the cut in revenue previously generated from admission fees, museums are also hard pressed for fresh funding avenues.