WINCHESTER UNIT TO CLOSE

Another archaeological unit is being forced to close because of council cuts. Winchester City Council plans to axe its field team in March 2004 with the loss of three jobs. The two fieldwork personnel and the team’s Documentation Officer, who deals with the curation of archaeological archives, have over 40 years experience between them. The cuts will save UKP90,000.

Winchester is only the latest local council unit with problems. Essex Council’s archaeology service is also in trouble and there are rumours that the Gloucester unit is under renewed threat. Gloucester was saved only last year when local people and celebrities mounted a campaign of petitions and demonstrations. Councils are under no statutory obligation to provide in-house field units which are often first in the firing line when savings are imposed.

There has been an archaeological field unit supported by the council at Winchester since the 1940s. The popular annual Community Archaeology project will also be closed down. The Director of Community Services at the council, Steve Tilbury, told The Digger: 'The fieldwork service carries a significant overhead and it is the one area of the service in which we can make a cost-saving.' But archaeologist Dr David Johnston, a former tutor at Southampton University, criticised contract archaeologists undercutting the council service. 'Local background knowledge will be lost,' he said. 'The cheapest alternative is not necessarily the best.'

Web Links :

http://www.winchester.gov.uk/arts_museums/archaeology/fieldwork.shtml Winchester Council Archaeology
http://www.winchester.gov.uk/council/structure/com_serv_dept.shtml Steve Tilbury - (perhaps you can ask him why the Unit has to go?)
http://www.winchester.gov.uk/press_archive/2003/september/dig.shtml Community Archaeology Project 2003