Staff shortages prompt closure of Bristol museums

Bristol Museums has closed two of its six venues until April next year, due to a shortage of staff.

The Georgian House Museum and the Red Lodge Museum have closed early this year, the organisation announced on its website, citing staff shortages.

Both museums closed their doors on 11 November.

A statement said staff "will be working behind the scenes” to maintain the buildings and ready them for reopening in 2023.

Bristol Museums’ four other sites, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, M Shed, Blaise Museum and Bristol Archives will continue to operate as normal.

The closures follow Bristol City Council’s announcement of a 10% cut to the museums and archive budget earlier this year. A total of £436,000 was cut from the budget, as part of an attempt to balance the books and avoid cuts to frontline services, according to Bristol Live.