The Digger
Heritage Enquiry at the DCMS
The Parliamentary
Culture, Media and Sport Committee has announced a wide-ranging inquiry into
the heritage sector and wants you to help identify priorities for the forthcoming
Heritage White Paper.
The committee is particularly interested in evidence about:
*how effectively the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), English Heritage (EH) and other heritage organisations represent heritage interests to the government,
*funding for EH and museums and how lottery money should be shared out,
*the responsibilities of EH, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), local authorities and museums in looking after UK heritage and
*the balance between heritage and development in planning policy.
The inquiry will touch on a number of controversial issues. The past year
has been particularly bad for EH. There were job losses and a strike coupled
with cuts in funding and rumours that the government would close the heritage
quango because of 'bitter rows.'
DCMS has also been criticised by MPs for not giving heritage a higher priority.
Current responsibility for archaeology is scattered across many government
departments and there is no one at DCMS with specific archaeological expertise.
The HLF itself has an uncertain future and there is widespread concern that
HLF money will be diverted from heritage funding to sport, especially with
the 2012 Olympics on the horizon.
Local authorities are shutting down their archaeological units and shifting
the responsibility of recording and excavating sites to the private sector.
Written submissions with your name and address should be sent by 19 January
to the Clerk of the Committee at 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The committee
will take oral evidence during February and March.
BAJR collborated to produce a 6 page submission for this enquiry.
Links:
DCMS archaeology related consultations
Tell me!
The Digger
PO Box 23570
London
E13 9YP
e-mail: thedigger@email.com
web: http://www.bajr.org