Why the 40 museums and galleries facing closure within 12 months is the warning Scotland needed

More than 45 of Scotland’s museums and galleries are at risk of closing down within the next 12 months, according to a survey carried out by the national body Museums Galleries Scotland.

And of those organisations surveyed, 14 per cent had only one month of financial reserves in the bank.

They are incredibly stark figures – attributed directly to a lack of funding – that should rightly send alarm bells blaring throughout the corridors of Holyrood and even as far afield as Westminster.

The UK-wide Museums Association has issued a direct warning to the Scottish Parliament that some attractions are concerned they will be "insolvent by the end of the year" unless new funding is provided.

But it is worth noting some of those venues surveyed are viewed as under direct threat of closure due to cuts imposed by local authorities, not just from funding decisions taken the Scottish Government.

Among those known to be at direct risk are Broughty Castle Museum, situated next to the River Tay.

And the report’s release has coincided with the imminent closure of Moat Brae – the Dumfries mansion that helped inspire JM Barrie to write Peter Pan – this Friday due to continued losses and rising costs.

The funding landscape for culture venues could yet get bleaker. Finance Secretary Shona Robison warned only last week that public spending in Scotland would be halted to fund hundreds of millions of pounds worth of public sector pay deals.

In the context of these tough decisions, it would be easy to overlook the immense contribution made by museums and galleries to public life. But their loss would be a great travesty.

They have the ability to captivate, to educate, to inspire future generations. And they must be prioritised wherever possible come Budget time.

Because as Joni Mitchell once sang, “you don't know what you've got ‘til it's gone”.