And Now... the end is near!

[BAJR]

I am glad we have an agreement, it is so much more useful.
The question is, how within PPS5 can the generality of archaeology and heritage be protected. How in public media, can the loss of these services be seen as detrimental to both income generation and general well-being. ( which is on the govt radar just now ) There is unprecedented activity in govt just now, relating to Heritage... how to influence what is said.

I would like to see a unified voice speaking to and explaining archaeologies worth to those that cut. I did read Mike Heyworths statement with interest.

The CBA's new strategy, launched in the House of Lords in November, is all about "Making Archaeology Matter". What matters now, more than ever, is that we engage people themselves to safeguard the archaeological interest in their locality. The CBA sees archaeological stewardship and active participation at the heart of what we do with, and through, our members - in education and research, with young people, in community archaeology and in all our advocacy work for archaeology - whether that is safeguarding historic buildings, reforming the Treasure Act, campaigning to protect the rural heritage or deriving maximum public value from development-led archaeology.

The whole archaeological sector needs to work together, with new and innovative collaborations creating stronger future partnerships, to support even greater public involvement and action. We should look ahead to the archaeological discipline of the future and lay the foundations of a strong, appropriately rewarded and highly-skilled profession, working closely with an active community and voluntary sector. The CBA is ready to play a leading role and we look forward to working with a wide range of partners, and our expanding membership, to ensure that the archaeological heritage of the UK is safeguarded and appreciated in the future.

Mike Heyworth
CBA Director

Read it all here : > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webad...e0f08.1011

BAJR - like it or not, was a touchstone.. a representation of archaeology's rises and falls. Confidence and fears. Mapping BAJR is a useful shorthand to see where we are.

The question is, where are we? Seems to be that everyone has a different idea.

[deadlylampshade]

The question is, where are we? Seems to be that everyone has a different idea.

Where we are is under threat and I doubt anyone has a different idea about that.

Isn't the question more what are we going to do about it and when? There's only so long we can shake our heads and look glum as another unit closes and more jobs are lost...

What are we going to DO about supporting Mike Heyworth's statement "The whole archaeological sector needs to work together"?

[BAJR]

"The whole archaeological sector needs to work together"?

Perhaps we could start by asking Mike to comment on how he sees that statement working. :face-huh:

[GnomeKing]

how about some kind of charter ...

[BAJR]

Its coming ... its coming...!


oh, and I have asked Mike Heyworth for his vision to unite the sectors.

[Dinosaur]

Yes, would be interesting to see how 'uniting the sectors' and 'working together' translates in a world of over-sized units trying wipe out all opposition and everyone else undercutting each other, operating in an environment where the few surviving curators can no longer keep track of anything happening on their patches, and the academic sector becomes more and more divorced from the archaeological 'real' world..... :face-stir:

[BAJR]

I am going to run with this thought, before its gets lost in this thread. So have moved the last posts to their own Thread. Museums: Bridging the gap - Contract and Research Archaeology

Meanwhile........

Mike has not been able to reply the the question - but has made several email posts on Britarch - would be nice to see some contract archaeologists talking on there as well

These seem to be the general points... I have cut out 80% and there is lots more to these posts; However.....

Local authority historic environment services are crucial, not just for their vital role in the planning system, for their education and outreach activities and their work as the 'knowledge hub' in each area through the Historic Environment Record. The sooner we can achieve statutory status for these record services the better (an opportunity is coming up with the Localism Bill, though the Govt are not convinced as yet ...).

The CBA is involved in discussions with both the AHRC and the British Academy about further research and advocacy to support research and teaching in archaeology, and we hope to be able to announce some linked initiatives in the coming weeks.

The key themes are for local people to act as guardians of their local archaeological heritage, as well as active advocates on behalf of the heritage sector, whilst developing new knowledge and understanding.

The competition between universities and departments makes it more difficult to develop a coordinated discipline-based response to the situation, recognising the ongoing uncertainties, but it is one of the reasons why the SCFA has chosen to work through the CBA as a neutral advocate for archaeology in higher education (as well as our higher public profile etc).

The CBA currently has some 10,000 individual members and subscribers, as well as over 600 organisational members. We aspire to dramatically increase this number in the coming years, partly to ameliorate the potential impact of financial pressures from cutbacks to public funding............It will not only enhance our financial stability, but also build a stronger voice for the UK's archaeological heritage in our advocacy and campaigning work.

The final point I just wanted to make is that all the groups which support the archaeology sector, including the CBA, Rescue and others, are working under considerable pressure and all welcome additional offers of active support - and new members.

I would just like support