Recommendation 17

We therefore asked the Department how it was going to support the museums and galleries to collaborate and address these challenges and opportunities. In response, it pointed out that the 15 museums and galleries were ‘freedom bodies’, which means they have their own accounting officers, independent trustees and governance, and operated at arm’s length. It therefore wants to strike the right balance between overseeing what they are doing without straying too deeply into their operations.39 Thus, for example, the museums and galleries are free to decide whether or not to use Government procurement frameworks.40 The Department also told us that it was working with four other government departments to introduce a new, shared system for finance and HR by 2027. Its arm’s length bodies will then be given the opportunity to join the system. Although a number of museums and galleries have expressed an interest in doing so, the final decision will rest with the museums and galleries.41