The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), the UK’s professional body for built and historic environment conservation specialists, has supplemented its web resources with a new compilation of heritage related cases covered by England’s Local Government (LG) Ombudsman.
Mike Brown, IHBC Policy Committee Chair, said at the launch of the new resource: ‘In this increasingly litigious age it is vital that public authorities draw on the best possible professional advice when making decisions. For decisions on listed buildings and conservation areas this is particularly important as the general public are such strong champions of their heritage and expect it to be properly looked after. It is vital, therefore that Local Authorities retain their in-house conservation expertise.’
‘The recent traumatic loss of local authority conservation officer posts is deeply worrying, not only for the individuals concerned, but also because it reduces the level of service that owners and the public have a right to expect. For the local authority this loss of expertise is exposing them to a very real risk of ill-informed, poor decision-making and damage to their reputation. This new initiative from the IHBC reveals some of the appalling consequences of not taking proper advice, not only for the nation’s heritage, but for the local authorities themselves.’
IHBC Committee Vice Chair Bob Kindred, who compiled the summaries, said: ‘Local authorities may be under increasing pressure to cut their expenditure, but they must also comply fully with heritage legislation. This means having special regard to the input of their conservation specialists and ensuring their administrative procedures are correct. Failure to do so can result in a finding of maladministration.’
‘The Institute has now brought together in one place, adjudications made by the Ombudsman on heritage related cases. This should help conservation professionals impress upon their local authorities the need to be satisfied that professional expertise and standards are observed.’
See the IHBC’s web resource for conservation services at: LINK
See the new resource, which is linked from the IHBC’s Home Page and its conservation services resource, at: LINK
