The body that runs Wales’ network of national museums is riven by a dispute between its senior management team and its board of trustees, we can reveal.
So concerned by the dissension at Amgueddfa Cymru is the Auditor General for Wales that he has published a note in the organisation’s latest financial report for 2020-21.
The relationship between the two men at the top of the organisation - the body’s president Roger Lewis and director general David Anderson - is said to be “at rock bottom”.
Mr Lewis, who was appointed president in 2019, has previously held senior executive roles at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI, Decca and the WRU. He has also chaired the board at Cardiff Airport.
Mr Anderson, who began his career as a school history teacher, went on to work as an educator in a number of museums before being appointed director general in 2010. From 2013 to 2015 he was president of the Museums Association.
A source told us: “Roger would like the national museums to be more commercial than they are, and there has been considerable tension between him and David. Their relationship is at rock bottom.”
In line with Welsh Government policy, none of the museums have admission charges although some special exhibitions have entrance fees.
No meeting of the board of trustees has taken place since last September and communication takes place via email.
Members of the senior management team contacted the Welsh Government and a review into their concerns is underway.
The note in the Financial Report which alludes to the dispute is headed “Governance issue”, is issued in the name of Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton and states: “Late in the audit process, it was brought to our attention that, during the year, concerns had been raised by senior executives about the clarity of the respective roles and responsibilities of the trustee board and the executive.
“These matters have also been drawn to the attention of Welsh Government officials, including the relevant Welsh Government additional accounting officer.
“The 2020/21 audit process was paused to allow us to understand the position sufficiently and consider the impact, if any, on our work.
“As a result of our consideration, the Annual Governance Statement was updated to ensure the matter was disclosed adequately in the Accounts and Report.
“In practice, there has been a significant impact on the conduct of the board and committee meetings and on communication between the board of trustees and the executive for the latter half of 2021.
“As that impact continues, I consider that there is an ongoing risk to effective governance arrangements.
“The Welsh Government intends to undertake a tailored review of Governance in 2022.
“I welcome this intention and will keep a watching brief over progress.”
Amgueddfa Cymru is an arm’s length body funded by the Welsh Government.
It is responsible for seven national museums: the National Museum in Cardiff, St Fagans National Museum of History, the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon, the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, the National Wool Museum and the National Roman Legion Museum at Caerleon.
In 2019 the St Fagans Museum was named the Art Fund Museum of the Year, regarded as the most important museum prize in the world.
Last year Amgueddfa Cymru received £27.9m grant-in-aid from the Welsh Government. It employs more than 800 people.
In 2018-19, the last full year before the pandemic, the seven national museums received a total of 1.89 million visits.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “A tailored review at Amgueddfa Cymru started in August 2021 as part of a programme of reviews across all arm’s length bodies overseen by the Welsh Government to ensure our oversight arrangements remain appropriate and aligned with best practice.
“This review will be concluded this year.”
A spokeswoman for Amgueddfa Cymru said: “We welcome the tailored review of governance at Amgueddfa Cymru by the Welsh Government which will be completed in 2022.
“By agreement between the executive and the board of trustees, governance matters have been managed so that we meet our requirements as a public body."
Neither Mr Andreson nor Mr Lewis wished to comment personally.
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