Manchester finds itself named and shamed today as a report by pressure Group the Taxpayer’s Alliance names it as the local authority with the most valuable art collection with only two per cent of it on public display
Local authorities in the United Kingdom owned at least 5.5 million works of art with an estimated value of more than £2 billion. Manchester City Council owned the most valuable collection, with a total value of £374 million across 46,347 pieces. 1,017 of these pieces are on display, a rate of 2.1 per cent.
New research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, conducted via Freedom of Information Requests to all public bodies in the country, has revealed that the government owns at least £3.5 billion worth of artwork – yet only 3 per cent of the work is on display.
Much of this art may have been bequeathed to the government specifically to be put on public display and selling it off would be inappropriate.
However, at a time when savings need to be made across the board, it’s important that public bodies assess what they do and do not need to hold on to and act accordingly. They may also wish to consider loaning much of the artwork held in storage to schools or local community centres.
Commenting on the research, Jonathan Isaby, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“No-one is proposing a wholesale sell-off of art owned by the government, but nonetheless the scale of the collection is staggering. Public bodies and local authorities should make an effort to display more of their art for people to enjoy, and they also need to take a good hard look at their art portfolio and think about what does and does not need to be retained.
“At a time when we’re making necessary savings, it is only reasonable to ask whether some of the recent purchases represent value for taxpayers’ money.”
Among the items revealed to be among the government’s art collection is a Lowry, Lancashire Fair: Good Friday, Daisy Nook, is owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
It was purchased in 1947 for £120 and it is now worth £3.5 million.
