Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums steering group recommendations: Scottish Government Response

Recommendation one

Scotland should create a dedicated space to address our role in empire, colonialism, and historic slavery. A new organisation should be created to lead this work.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation, whilst acknowledging that the requested financial commitment for the Scottish Government is currently unachievable.

The Scottish Government agrees that a dedicated space is required to address our role in empire, colonialism and historic slavery. The Scottish Government also understands the need for a new organisation to be created and led by people with relevant lived experience of racism and colonial legacies, and professional expertise. This will build trust, representation and diversity into all aspects of the planning stages and demonstrates the resulting need for a future organisation to retain independence from existing organisations in the sector.

Before a new organisation can be created some scoping work is required to establish the staffing needs, operational costs, remit and responsibilities of any new organisation.

The steering group report recommended an initial financial commitment from the Scottish Government of £5 million over the next four years, that the Scottish Government should commit to long-term funding for this organisation, and that the current Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums steering group should expand its membership to act as a transitory board until the new organisation is established.

The Scottish Government is not currently able to commit to £5 million over four years for this work, however it will commit to scoping out the format, objectives, and costings of a new organisation which will then seek out avenues for diversification of income sourcing. The new organisation would be expected to assist the sector to progress toward the actions recommended by the steering group report.

The Scottish Government has provided funding in 2023/24 to allow this work to begin. We have asked the current Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums steering group to work with Museums Galleries Scotland who will facilitate a collaborative piece of work examining how this organisation can be formed and begin its work. Partnership working should be employed to run an open recruitment process to allow the transparent appointment of a suitably inclusive mix of skills, knowledge and lived experience to fill any skills gaps on the steering group so that the group can take forward this scoping work without any unnecessary delays.

With regard to a permanent space, this is a longer-term aspiration. In the meantime, as the evidence in the steering group's report showed, individuals also want local and relevant stories. While the scale and scope of the new organisation and any permanent space is being explored, a blended approach is encouraged, as is set out in the steering group's recommendations. This may comprise the use of both an innovative and inclusive digital offering as well as temporary physical solutions delivered in partnership, consideration could also be made to ensure there is appropriate national and local reach and engagement.