Introduction

The Victoria and Albert Museum was founded soon after the Great Exhibition in 1851. In 1984, as a result of the National Heritage Act 1983, it was reconstituted as a body corporate governed by a Board of Trustees.

The V&A's mission is 'to increase the understanding and enjoyment of art, craft and design through its collections'. The V&A is the National Museum of Art and Design. Its collections cover all branches of fine and applied arts and represent all major artistic traditions of Britain, Europe, Asia and North Africa. Certain of its collections are recognised as national collections in their particular fields.

The V&A administers the Museum at South Kensington, which includes the National Art Library, and three other London museums: the Theatre Museum at Covent Garden, the National Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green, and the Wellington Museum at Apsley House.

Achievements in 1996/97

• Diverse exhibitions including William Morris enjoyed by 216,000 visitors and subject to substantial international critical aclaim Jain Art from India and American Photography; the reopening of the Raphael Gallery and the English Silver Galleries, two significant displays, both substantially refurbished; and the successful introduction of admission charges with no evidence of a drop in visitor numbers and little adverse criticism.

• Competing for Quality: the V&A reviews the provision of services regularly and regards this as a vital process to improve cost effectiveness and ensure value for money. Most of the V&A's service departments consist of small in-house teams who contract out to specialists where economic to do so. Recent reviews include restructuring in-house printing services (saving 7 posts) and contracting out some cleaning services (22 posts transferred).

• Private Finance Initiative: discussions held with Private Finance Panel Executive on a number of potential projects.

• Investors in People: diagnostic study completed during 1996/7.

Plans for 1997/98

• Five strategic goals taken from Funding Agreement 1997/98:

• Access: to increase the accessibility and attractiveness of the V&A to the widest possible audience.

• Develop the collections: to improve the standards of organising the objects entrusted to the Museum.

• Research and record: to maintain and enhance the standards of object-based scholarship and research at the Museum.

• Manage & develop the estate: to bring all buildings up to sound, safe and environmentally acceptable standards for visitors, staff and collections.

• Manage & develop resources: to ensure that resources available to the Museum are managed effectively and efficiently.

Reports & Accounts:

• V&A Consolidated Accounts, published by HMSO, or available on request from Dept of Finance & Central Services, V&A .

• Report of the Board of Trustees (triennial), last published 1995 (ISBN 1­85177­164­6), available on request from Dept of Public Affairs, V&A.

• V&A's Corporate Plan (annual), available on request from Dept of Finance & Central Services, V&A.

Key Performance Targets
	1994/95		1995/96		1996/97		1997/98
STRATEGIC GOAL :
Key Measure	Set	Achieved	Set	Achieved	Set	Achieved	Set
ACCESS : Visitor numbers, whole site (million)	1.6	1.6	1.49	1.49	1.7	1.6	1.7
% of visitors satisfied with their visits (%)	98	98	98.5	98.5	98.5	98.5	99
DEVELOP THE COLLECTIONS : % of collections accessible to the public (%)	n/a	n/a	99	99	99	99	90*
MANAGE AND DEVELOP RESOURCES : To continue to develop the long-term upward trend in self-generated income from recurrent sources (%)	13	13	16	16	17	**	17
To complete computer network to link whole museum (%)	25	25	45	45	53	53	90
* % accessible is affected by refurbishment of galleries, In particular proposed redevelopment of 15 galleries at V&A in 97/98. ** Audited figures available at time of going to press.