15th January 2007, 08:50 PM
NEWS RELEASE - ON BEHALF OF BRITAIN'S LEADING HERITAGE ORGANISATIONS
VALUING OUR HERITAGE
THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT
Prospectus shows over £1 billion in outstanding repairs
Less per head spent in England on Heritage than in other European countries
Britain's leading heritage organisations (Heritage Link, English Heritage, National Trust, Historic Houses Association and the Heritage Lottery Fund) have today presented Government with a report, 'Valuing our Heritage - The case for future investment in the historic environment' (see http://www.heritagelink.org.uk), which details the challenges facing owners and guardians of our historic sites, buildings, places and gardens.
Valuing our Heritage presents Government with a major opportunity to halt the decline in the state of thousands of historic buildings, to ensure a simpler and faster heritage protection system gets implemented successfully, and to broaden audiences and get more people involved with the historic environment.
Figures show that there is a backlog of over £1 billion in outstanding repairs at listed places of worship and charitably and privately owned heritage. At the same time, the report shows that spending per head on heritage in England is less than in other European countries including Germany, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands.
Appealing to Ministers ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review later in the year, Anthea Case, Chairman of Heritage Link, representing over 80 voluntary heritage organisations said, 'Last year's History Matters campaign demonstrated the public's enduring support and affection for our heritage. In one weekend alone, over 1 million people visited historic venues and some 70% of the population have visited an historic site in the last 12 months. Moreover, our heritage regularly tops the list of reasons why tourists visit Britain, supporting a tourist industry which contributes £75 billion to the economy each year.
The enormous input from people from all walks of life, volunteers young and old, shows how passionately people care about our heritage but maintaining these assets requires even greater attention and investment.
Over 17,000 buildings are at risk in England alone despite the money already committed to maintenance by private owners and public support. But HLF awards are down 15% in real terms over the last two years, and English Heritage has seen its spending fall by £19.6 million in real terms over the last 5 years. Today's report seeks to remind Ministers of the economic, social and educational benefits of maintaining the built heritage and sets out ways in which Government can make a difference.'
The report identifies ways in which the Government can assist, including four essential tasks:
1 Implementation of the Heritage Protection Review. Ensure necessary levels of skills are available. English Heritage alone requires £5m per year to lead and support the introduction of a new system of heritage protection, arising from the Heritage Protection Review, on which a White Paper is expected in February. The review must also be implemented effectively at local level. An additional sum will be required to fund Local Authorities' expenditure.
2. Places of Worship. Support frontline restoration and preventative maintenance for Listed Places of worship (£9m per annum)
3. Investing in the assets. Restoration of English Heritage's grant in aid to 1997 levels (£3m per annum); introduction of a fiscal incentive for maintenance (£10m per annum); and an increase in the National Heritage Memorial Fund as a funder of last resort for heritage at risk (£10m per annum). A total of £23 million per annum.
4 Reaching people. Invest in increased opportunities for people to enjoy, learn about and get involved with the historic environment; and support educational initiatives to take learning outside the classroom and into heritage venues.
Excluding the cost of Local Authority expenditure, these essential developments alone require £37 million additional expenditure per annum.
This would pay for the rescue of around 8 buildings currently at risk; maintenance at up to 500 privately owned historic properties which open to the public; would save more treasures for the nation through NHMF; and, maintenance and repair of hundreds of places of worship
Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said, 'English Heritage's grant in aid from Government increased by only 3% between 2000 and 2006. Inflation during this period was 8.5%.
'We have been able to meet the costs of inflation by making efficiency savings, but this would have been money better spent to boost funds for the work that we do for the benefit of the wider public - both for this generation and the next.
'Over the same period, the Government's grant to Sport England has increased by 98%, and the grant to Arts Council England increased by 53%.
'This time round, I appeal to Ministers to wake up to the potential of the historic environment and all that it means to people and give the whole sector the funding and support it deserves.'
James Hervey-Bathurst, President of the HHA, said, 'It is all too easy to take Britain's historic environment for granted, but without constant attention and investment our buildings and monuments fall into disrepair and ruin. The longer repairs are put off, the greater they cost in the future.
'We are asking the Government to help us to help ourselves. We do so against a backdrop of unprecedented public enthusiasm but diminishing government support. £37 million per year equates to less than 80 pence per person. For that investment, we can secure a unique bequest to future generations, of architecture and history which touches each and every one of us.'
Tony Burton, Director of Policy & Strategy of the National Trust, commented, 'Britain's heritage is a genuinely world-class resource that enriches the quality of life of the people who live here and helps define our nation. If we fail to look after our heritage resource properly, then it will suffer from irreversible loss, damage and decay. Greater levels of investment and regulatory protection are needed if the Government's stated support and the public's huge enthusiasm for heritage are to be matched by delivery on the ground.'
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
VALUING OUR HERITAGE
THE CASE FOR INVESTMENT
Prospectus shows over £1 billion in outstanding repairs
Less per head spent in England on Heritage than in other European countries
Britain's leading heritage organisations (Heritage Link, English Heritage, National Trust, Historic Houses Association and the Heritage Lottery Fund) have today presented Government with a report, 'Valuing our Heritage - The case for future investment in the historic environment' (see http://www.heritagelink.org.uk), which details the challenges facing owners and guardians of our historic sites, buildings, places and gardens.
Valuing our Heritage presents Government with a major opportunity to halt the decline in the state of thousands of historic buildings, to ensure a simpler and faster heritage protection system gets implemented successfully, and to broaden audiences and get more people involved with the historic environment.
Figures show that there is a backlog of over £1 billion in outstanding repairs at listed places of worship and charitably and privately owned heritage. At the same time, the report shows that spending per head on heritage in England is less than in other European countries including Germany, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands.
Appealing to Ministers ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review later in the year, Anthea Case, Chairman of Heritage Link, representing over 80 voluntary heritage organisations said, 'Last year's History Matters campaign demonstrated the public's enduring support and affection for our heritage. In one weekend alone, over 1 million people visited historic venues and some 70% of the population have visited an historic site in the last 12 months. Moreover, our heritage regularly tops the list of reasons why tourists visit Britain, supporting a tourist industry which contributes £75 billion to the economy each year.
The enormous input from people from all walks of life, volunteers young and old, shows how passionately people care about our heritage but maintaining these assets requires even greater attention and investment.
Over 17,000 buildings are at risk in England alone despite the money already committed to maintenance by private owners and public support. But HLF awards are down 15% in real terms over the last two years, and English Heritage has seen its spending fall by £19.6 million in real terms over the last 5 years. Today's report seeks to remind Ministers of the economic, social and educational benefits of maintaining the built heritage and sets out ways in which Government can make a difference.'
The report identifies ways in which the Government can assist, including four essential tasks:
1 Implementation of the Heritage Protection Review. Ensure necessary levels of skills are available. English Heritage alone requires £5m per year to lead and support the introduction of a new system of heritage protection, arising from the Heritage Protection Review, on which a White Paper is expected in February. The review must also be implemented effectively at local level. An additional sum will be required to fund Local Authorities' expenditure.
2. Places of Worship. Support frontline restoration and preventative maintenance for Listed Places of worship (£9m per annum)
3. Investing in the assets. Restoration of English Heritage's grant in aid to 1997 levels (£3m per annum); introduction of a fiscal incentive for maintenance (£10m per annum); and an increase in the National Heritage Memorial Fund as a funder of last resort for heritage at risk (£10m per annum). A total of £23 million per annum.
4 Reaching people. Invest in increased opportunities for people to enjoy, learn about and get involved with the historic environment; and support educational initiatives to take learning outside the classroom and into heritage venues.
Excluding the cost of Local Authority expenditure, these essential developments alone require £37 million additional expenditure per annum.
This would pay for the rescue of around 8 buildings currently at risk; maintenance at up to 500 privately owned historic properties which open to the public; would save more treasures for the nation through NHMF; and, maintenance and repair of hundreds of places of worship
Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage, said, 'English Heritage's grant in aid from Government increased by only 3% between 2000 and 2006. Inflation during this period was 8.5%.
'We have been able to meet the costs of inflation by making efficiency savings, but this would have been money better spent to boost funds for the work that we do for the benefit of the wider public - both for this generation and the next.
'Over the same period, the Government's grant to Sport England has increased by 98%, and the grant to Arts Council England increased by 53%.
'This time round, I appeal to Ministers to wake up to the potential of the historic environment and all that it means to people and give the whole sector the funding and support it deserves.'
James Hervey-Bathurst, President of the HHA, said, 'It is all too easy to take Britain's historic environment for granted, but without constant attention and investment our buildings and monuments fall into disrepair and ruin. The longer repairs are put off, the greater they cost in the future.
'We are asking the Government to help us to help ourselves. We do so against a backdrop of unprecedented public enthusiasm but diminishing government support. £37 million per year equates to less than 80 pence per person. For that investment, we can secure a unique bequest to future generations, of architecture and history which touches each and every one of us.'
Tony Burton, Director of Policy & Strategy of the National Trust, commented, 'Britain's heritage is a genuinely world-class resource that enriches the quality of life of the people who live here and helps define our nation. If we fail to look after our heritage resource properly, then it will suffer from irreversible loss, damage and decay. Greater levels of investment and regulatory protection are needed if the Government's stated support and the public's huge enthusiasm for heritage are to be matched by delivery on the ground.'
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he
Thomas Rainborough 1647
Thomas Rainborough 1647