As well as reaching the national press, the IHBC’s current research into England’s Local Authority (LA) conservation capacity, funded by English Heritage, has seeped into the local press, with Wiltshire Business Online featuring content and comments from the IHBC’s Chair, Mike Brown.
Wiltshire Business Online writes:
Heritage at risk from cuts: Local heritage buildings across England could face ruin or damaging redevelopment due to a dramatic loss of local authority conservation experts advising on planning applications.
The warning comes from the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s new chair Mike Brown in response to the latest Annual Report on Local Authority Staff Resources.
The report, carried out in partnership between the IHBC, English Heritage, and the Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers, annually surveys the levels of building conservation and archaeology expertise within local authorities.
Since 2006, one in three conservation officers has lost their job due to local government cuts resulting in a massive loss in building conservation knowledge and expertise.
‘The report shows local authority conservation capacity has reached breaking point,’ said Mike Brown.
‘One in four local authorities has no conservation officer or little more than limited part time advice on the protection, maintenance and repair of these important buildings. The scale of the cutbacks means that we really must question the capacity of many local authorities to cope with even their statutory conservation duties.’
Local authorities play a vital role in protecting England’s heritage. They are responsible, through the planning system, for making decisions on how places change and how heritage is protected and developed as part of that process.
‘When a local authority does not have access to that advice, or that advice is stretched, then decisions are made that put local heritage at risk, the planning process can be slowed down and decisions are taken without the full understanding of their implications,’ says Mike Brown.
While the IHBC accepts that local authorities face difficult choices in the current climate of cutbacks, it believes that decisions on what services to keep and what to cut require a long-term perspective and sustainable planning.
‘Too many of these losses are based on short-term populist decisions and hasty axing of conservation services as unaffordable or non critical,’ said Mike.
‘We are at a crisis point where local authorities are becoming unable to cope with statutory workload which has direct consequences for their customers and the community.’
‘Our heritage buildings also play an important role in sustainable economic development, business growth and job stability.
‘Caring for and promoting our heritage supports society, helps economic growth and sustains tourism.’
A copy of the Annual Report on Local Authority Staff Resources is available at: LINK
For the IHBC’s launch of the report, and other national announcements see: LINK
Wiltshire Business news: LINK
