The UK’s parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that national museums and galleries are vulnerable to a number of risks, including cyber security threats, due to the government taking a reactive approach to protecting some of the UK's most important cultural institutions.

The committee's latest investigation found that high-profile incidents, including the cyber attack on the British Library and thefts from the British Museum in 2023, exposed significant vulnerabilities across the sector.

While the government has facilitated the sharing of lessons, the PAC said it was unable to provide specific examples of concrete actions taken as a result to better protect systems and collections in the wake of these incidents.

In its report, the PAC warned that museums and galleries remain vulnerable to both cyber threats and physical security risk and that government departments have not done enough to coordinate action across the sector.

The committee has called on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to outline specific measures being taken to strengthen cyber resilience and improve the protection of collections, including the wider adoption of digital record-keeping systems.

The report comes at a time when museums are under increasing financial pressure. Although visitor numbers remain strong, with the Natural History Museum attracting 7.1 million visitors in 2025, overall attendance across the sector has yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels.

At the same time, said operating costs have risen due to higher energy bills and staffing expenses. The PAC said government grant funding for 15 national museums and galleries totalled £484 million in 2024-25, but pointed out this represents a 16 per cent real-terms reduction following the withdrawal of emergency pandemic support.

While museums and galleries generated £563 million of their own income in 2024-25, a 53 per cent real-terms increase compared with 2021-22, the PAC said those revenues remain vulnerable to wider economic conditions and fluctuations in visitor numbers.

The PAC has recommended that DCMS introduce clearer performance metrics for museums and galleries and define the consequences for organisations that fail to meet them. It also wants the department to clarify under what circumstances it would allow a museum or gallery to fail financially.

The report noted that ministers are considering new funding options, including the possibility of charging overseas visitors to access national museums and galleries. While no decisions have been made, the idea was raised as part of a recent review led by Margaret Hodge.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative MP and chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said that museums and galleries play a “priceless” role in educating people and preserving history.

"However, they are being let down by a lack of leadership from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which appears to have taken an almost hands-off approach to the challenges they face,” he added. “Cyber-attacks, the theft of items from collections, and a fall in the number of visitors are just some of the issues museums and galleries are fighting to overcome.

"They’ve made great strides to become more financially resilient, however the lack of centralised support is leaving them vulnerable.”

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