Fewer than one in 20 artworks owned by English councils on display

Fewer than one in 20 artworks owned by English councils are on public display, according to a BBC analysis of data from 225 local authorities. Their collections contain more than 500,000 works, but most are in storage.

The figures, recorded as of April, show that 26,856 works were being displayed. The collections include pieces by artists such as David Hockney, Tracey Emin, LS Lowry and Antony Gormley. Only a fraction of councils provided a value for their collection, though some individual collections were insured for millions of pounds.

Rugby Council in Warwickshire was the only responding authority with more than 100 artworks to have its entire collection on display. It exhibited all 257 works together for the first time in April. The council has also backed a funding bid to redevelop Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, including a permanent space for the collection.

Other councils say display is not always possible, or the only way to give people access. Rochdale is storing its 1,701 artworks while its Touchstones museum undergoes regeneration. The council’s culture and leisure service has taken works into schools, parks and community events, while staff reorganise storage and carry out preservation work.

Mark Doyle, director of arts, heritage and wellness at Your Trust, which delivers cultural services for Rochdale Council, said works could deteriorate if displayed for too long. He said it was not possible to show every item at once.

Councils also face financial and storage pressures. The net amount English councils spent on museums fell by a fifth in real terms between 2017-18 and 2025-26, the BBC reported, citing figures adjusted for inflation. Mick Barton, who chairs the Local Government Association’s culture committee, said financial pressures were leaving councils with less money for discretionary services such as museums.

Selling works has been uncommon among councils that responded: 10 said they had disposed of art during the past six financial years. Derbyshire sold 356 works in 2021-22 after closing its Schools Library Service, which had loaned art to schools; it said it lacked the space and staff to keep the collection. North Lincolnshire sold 22 works at auction in 2023-24.

Art UK has created a digital record of more than a million public artworks. Its chief executive, Andrew Ellis, urged councils to make greater use of the online resource, while arguing that publicly owned art should be accessible to communities. The figures show a sharp gap between the size of council collections and the number on display, although storage can also support conservation and access through temporary or community exhibitions.