IN his article 'Do museums have a future?' (October 18) Stephen Lewis, claims 'the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds needed a £42.5 million rescue package after running up a £20 million debt.' There is not a shred of truth in this statement whatsoever.
The facts are these: our Leeds museum was opened by the Queen in 1996, on time and in its budget of £42.5 million, and the Royal Armouries has not run up any debts. The £20 million debt referred to was that accumulated by the building's private company operator.
The Departments for Culture, Media and Sport asked the Royal Armouries to assume operational responsibility for its Leeds museum from the private company last year. To cover these unexpected costs, the department increased the museum's grant by £1m. The Royal Armouries welcomes around 2.7 million visitors a year to its museums in Leeds, HM Tower of London and Portsmouth which it manages within its overall annual budget of £5.1m.
Nicholas Boole,
Royal Armouries,
Armouries Drive,
Leeds.
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