England’s national museums will remain free for all, with the government confirming on 28 September that it will not introduce entry charges for institutions such as the British Museum, Tate and National Museums Liverpool. The decision ends months of speculation over whether overseas visitors could be asked to pay and keeps universal free access in place across the 15 national museums in England.
The announcement matters because free admission has been central to the public identity of these museums since 1 December 2001, when the policy came into effect. It also settles a question that had been reopened by discussion around how national museums are funded, and by proposals that tourism-related revenue could help support culture.
Policy confirmed at Tate Liverpool
Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, made the announcement on Monday at an event hosted by Art Fund and the Cultural Policy Unit at Tate Liverpool. Her statement confirmed that the existing model of universal free entry will continue, rather than shifting to a system that charges international visitors or other groups at the door.
The timing is notable because the policy will reach its 25th anniversary later this year, marking a quarter-century since free entry began on 1 December 2001. That anniversary gives the government’s decision added weight: it is not launching a new experiment, but preserving a long-running settlement that has shaped how England’s national museums operate.
Support from museum leaders
The move was welcomed by Alison Cole, director of the Cultural Policy Unit, which has campaigned for museums to stay free for all. She described free entry as a landmark cultural policy and a universal public good, reflecting the argument that access should not depend on a visitor’s nationality, income or reason for travelling.
Several national museum directors also backed the decision in a statement, including Tristram Hunt of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Nicholas Cullinan of the British Museum. Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery in London, said free entry enables millions to visit, enjoy and learn, and argued that it has made UK museums deeply integrated into national life and admired by museum peers internationally.
Why the debate resurfaced
The discussion around charging visitors did not emerge in a vacuum. The DCMS reopened the issue in its response to a review of Arts Council England by Margaret Hodge, the Labour peer who published recommendations on the future of ACE last December. That review helped place museum funding and access back on the political agenda.
One of the more contentious ideas came from Mark Jones, the former interim director of the British Museum, who said in July 2024 that overseas visitors should pay an admission fee of £20. His intervention showed that, even with free entry in place, some cultural figures see paid tourism access as a possible way to raise extra income.
Funding questions remain
Although the entry policy is now clear, the question of how national museums in England will be funded remains unresolved. The government has not set out a new funding model alongside the free-entry confirmation, leaving museums dependent on the broader public spending framework and any future cultural settlements.
That uncertainty sits alongside a separate policy shift earlier this month, when the UK government gave regional mayors in England the power to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy, also called a tourist tax. Some cultural leaders welcomed the change, but stressed that any revenue should be ring-fenced for arts and culture rather than absorbed into general budgets.
Wider cultural stakes
The decision also reinforces the place of national museums within England’s cultural infrastructure, especially in London and Liverpool, where major institutions attract both local audiences and international tourism. Keeping entry free preserves a model that encourages repeat visits, school access and spontaneous attendance, rather than limiting museums to those willing to pay at the door.
For the government, the announcement offers a clear political message: free entry to the 15 national museums in England is to remain part of public policy, not a temporary concession. For museums, it removes a major uncertainty and keeps the focus on how to sustain access, programming and conservation without changing the principle of open admission.
Takeaway: England’s national museums will stay free, preserving a 25-year policy that leaders say broadens access while leaving unresolved the harder question of long-term funding.
