Latest from Arts Council England

All Accredited museums are periodically invited to demonstrate that they continue to meet the Standard; typically this is every five years.

Accreditation Return invitations are emailed to museums by Arts Council England at least six months before the submission deadline. The current Accreditation award remains in place until an updated assessment is reviewed by an Accreditation Panel.

Due to the pause of the scheme during the pandemic some museums will have had their Accreditation award extended for longer than five years. These museums remain fully Accredited until they are invited to submit an Accreditation return. The returns schedule for museums in the North due to submit in 2025 is below.

1 April 2025

• Bolton Library & Museum Services (Bolton Museum and Art Gallery; Hall Iʼ Thʼ Wood Museum; Smithills Hall)
• University of Manchester (Manchester Museum, The Whitworth)
• York Minster Undercroft, Treasury and Crypts

1 May 2025

• North Lincolnshire Museum Service (North Lincolnshire Museum; Normanby Hall Country Park)
• Vindolanda Charitable Trust (Chesterholm Museum – Vindolanda)
• West Cheshire Museums, Cheshire West & Chester Council (Grosvenor Museum, Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, Stretton Watermill)

1 July 2025

• Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archives
• Ken Hawley Collection
• Museum of Policing in Cheshire
• Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council  (Clifton Park Museum, York and Lancaster Regimental Museum)
• World of Glass

1 August 2025

• Gallery Oldham
• Museum of Wigan Life
• Royal Northern College of Music Collection of Historic Musical Instruments
• Wirral Museums Service (Birkenhead Priory and St Maryʼs Tower, Williamson Art Gallery and Museum)
• Wordsworth Grasmere

1 September 2025

• The Lowry
• Peopleʼs History Museum
• Ryedale Folk Museum
• Yorkshire Museum of Farming

You can find the full returns schedule, along with more information on the Accreditation Scheme here.