Updates from The Heritage Alliance

'Levelling Up': What Does it Mean for Heritage?

Thank you to all Heritage Update readers who attended our live Heritage Debate this Tuesday, and to all those who left us such positive feedback.

If you missed out on the discussion, you can catch up through the thread of live posts on our Twitter channel and read further tweets from our CEO Lizzie.

We invite you to continue to engage with us on the topic by using #HeritageDebate2021 - and by reading and sharing the blogs from heritage professionals giving a range of perspectives on heritage and levelling up which we've shared on our event blog site.

The call for blogs is still open. Submissions will remain open until 16 December, so if you would still like to contribute your perspective, please follow our blog submission guidance. The blog site will remain live as an openly-accessible resource for anyone who wishes to read the entries.

Nominate Your Heritage Heroes

Nominations are open for the Heritage Alliance's Ecclesiastical’s Heritage Heroes Awards 2021, which celebrate the incredible contribution of volunteers across the sector.

You can download this form to nominate someone you think has made an especially positive impact this year. In addition to our yearly Heritage Hero award, there is also a special category for Digital Heritage Hero to celebrate volunteers who have used digital resources to make a positive impact. 

Nominations will close on 9 January 2022. If you have any questions about the application process, please email heritageheroes@theheritagealliance.org.uk.

Opportunity to Join the Heritage Alliance Team

And a reminder that we have a position open for someone to join our team as an Advocacy and Communications Assistant, which we are advertising through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme. This is an exciting and wide-ranging role, requiring a proactive individual with good communication skills and an eye for detail. The full details can be found here on our website.

Policy Updates

This fortnight:

• Our new Chair Pam Alexander OBE has an introductory meeting with Heritage Minister, Nigel Huddleston, scheduled in January to follow up on key current priorities for the Heritage Alliance and our members.

• Following the Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle, we are writing to the new DCMS Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell, DLUHC Shadow Secretary of State Lisa Nandy and the DEFRA Shadow Secretary of State Jim McMahon to welcome them to their new roles and introduce them to the Heritage Alliance.

• The team attended a meeting with Lord Zac Goldsmith on the 25-Year Environment Plan. We also raised the sector's concerns around the inclusion of heritage in guidance around the Environment Act and concerns over future Environmental Land Management. Our Rural Heritage Advocacy Group (RHAG) is working on a letter following the meeting to set out some key asks from the heritage sector.

• We are also preparing responses to BEIS consultations on Phasing Out the Installation of Fossil Fuel Heating in Homes off the Gas Grid and Phasing out fossil fuels on business and public buildings, both of which have a closing date of 12 January. We are also working on a response to the DCMS Committee Inquiry on Promoting Britain Abroad, which closes on 6 January.

Heritage Digital Academy: Embedding Inclusivity & Accessibility

Everyone should be able to enjoy heritage. The upcoming webinar from Heritage Digital Academy on 15 December will explore ways to embed inclusivity and accessibility within your organisation's digital strategy.

The session aims to provide strategic leads of all types of heritage organisations an understanding of why inclusion and accessibility is so important in the creation of a digital strategy and the organisational benefits of ‘getting it right.’ It will also offer insights into the tools they need to embed inclusive and accessible practice in the most effective way.

Find the full details and book your place.

Heritage Digital Academy is funded by DCMS through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's Digital Skills for Heritage initiative.

#HeritageChat

Save the slot in your diary for the next #HeritageChat on 21 December, 1-2pm! We’ll celebrate what the sector has achieved in 2021, and share our wishes for 2022. The prompts we’ll be using are pinned to our profile (@HeritageChat) and published here.

Taking part in the chat is easy: log on at 1pm, search ‘#HeritageChat’ and filter by ‘latest’ rather than ‘top’ to follow the conversation in order, then answer the questions and engage in conversations with others. Remember to include ‘#HeritageChat’ in your tweets so everyone can keep track of the conversations.

Please contact Francesca if you would like to suggest a topic for one of our future #HeritageChats!

Welcoming Our New Alliance Member

This fortnight, we are pleased to welcome Cotswold Archaeology as the newest member of the Heritage Alliance.

Cotswold Archaeology is a limited company and a registered educational charity that advances public education of archaeology and furthers an appreciation of the cultural heritage and historic environment in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. The primary educational activity of the organisation is to disseminate the results of its work.

Did you know? Members of the Heritage Alliance also receive more regular, direct insights and unique offers to support their work. Find out more about coming an Alliance Member on our website.

Share Your News with The Heritage Sector

Sharing your content in Heritage Update means your news, jobs, events and courses are shared widely across the sector.

Organisations can use our advertiser's form to send through content (maximum 70 words) to be included for £165 (per item, per issue), or at no cost if your organisation is an Alliance Member. Please be sure to follow the full instructions set out in our step-by-step guide before sharing your content.

Government News

Our summary of the latest announcements and guidance for the heritage sector.

Headlines

• Updated COVID-19 Guidance

• Spain Offers Visa-Free Touring for UK Artists

• Further Heritage Awards

• ERP Summary Published

COVID-19

New Measures & Guidance

On 27 November, the Prime Minister confirmed new temporary and precautionary measures in response to the emergence of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the UK.

Face coverings are once again compulsory in shops and on public transport, and all international arrivals are now required to take a Day 2 PCR test and self-isolate until they receive a negative test. A detailed breakdown of the mask guidelines in law is available here.

Ahead of this announcement, it was confirmed that 6 African countries have now been added to the travel 'red list' as a precautionary measure to halt the spread of the new variant.

The Museums Association has reported that museums across the UK are revisiting their Covid policies in response to the new measures. A similar picture is emerging across the cultural and heritage sectors, and at the Alliance we will continue to gather insights and work to support heritage organisations.

If Alliance members have any insights, evidence or concerns on how the new measures are affecting your organisation, please share these with us (send them to Polly at policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk) to inform our conversations with DCMS and key stakeholders.

Social & Sector Impacts

Results from the most recent ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (3 to 14 November), ahead of the new measures around mask-wearing, show that most adults (85%) in Great Britain reported they wore a face covering when outside their home in the past seven days: 83% in England, 94% in Scotland and 95% in Wales. This proportion appeared to increase with age. All four personal well-being measures improved slightly in this period.

Results from a new study conducted by the University of Sheffield show that over the past 18 months the UK’s cultural sector saw a 60% decline in economic output. Restrictions led to 55% of sector jobs being furloughed (with a national average of 16%) and more than 80,000 arts professionals applied to the SEISS.

Guidance

The latest guidance includes:​

• Public Guidance: What You Can and Cannot Do (updated 30 November)
• Public Guidance on Face Masks (updated 30 November) and New guidelines on face-coverings in law (published 29 November)
• Working Safely During Coronavirus Guidance: Events and Attractions (Updated 30 November)
• Working Safely During Coronavirus Guidance: Hotels and Guest Accommodation (Updated 30 November)
• Guidance On Managing Outdoor Public Spaces (updated 1 December)
• Guidance On Travel Into England (updated 30 November)
• Changes to the Red List and quarantine hotel guidance (updated 28 November)
• Travelling to England from Another Country (updated 30 November)
• New Countries Added To Vaccination List (updated 22 November)
• Updated Guidance For Students Entering The UK (updated 28 November)
• Updated Guidance for Students Entering the Country

We continue to collate relevant guidance for the sector in our COVID-19 Hub. 

DCMS & Culture

Final Results of the Events Research Programme

The Government has published the final reports from its Events Research Programme, which ran for 4 months and encompassed 31 pilot events. Among the main findings from these final reports are that:

• Environmental and behavioural risk factors associated with COVID-19 transmission at events are complex and contextual.
• Adherence to safety measures including physical distancing and face covering usage were higher at events or locations within an event where they were required rather than discretionary, and 
• Individual risk while attending an event is dependent on social interactions, on the interaction with the environment, and on the individual journey through an event.

Volunteering Futures Fund

A reminder that the Volunteering Futures fund from DCMS and Arts Council England is now open for  expressions of interest, with a deadline of 7 December.

The fund has been established with a core objective of helping people to build their skills, well-being and social networks through volunteering across the arts, heritage, museums, libraries, sport and physical activity, youth and other community settings. Eligible projects can apply for £100,001 or over and the total amount available is £4.7million. Full applications will be invited in January. 

Using Digital Technology to Improve Government Services

At the annual Digital Nations summit, this year hosted by the UK, the ten Digital Nations governments, including the UK, committed to using digital technology to improve government services and decision making.

The Minister for Tech and Digital Economy Chris Philp joined others in agreeing to continue to use digital tech "to reduce the environmental impacts of government, narrow digital divides, and build trust in digital government services by putting safeguards in place on human rights, data protection, data and AI ethics and transparency".

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society, picked up on similar themes in an earlier speech to the World Expo Dubai 2020 CREATE Breakthrough Moment Summit, exploring: How can creativity and technology be harnessed for good?

Temporary Export Bar Placed on Tipu Sultan Throne Finial 

A temporary export bar has been placed on a tiger’s head finial from the gold-covered throne of Tipu Sultan, to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the piece.

The decision from Arts Minister Lord Parkinson follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA). The decision on the export licence application for the finial will be deferred until 11 February 2022, with a possible extension until 11 June 2022.

Extraordinary Roman Mosaic & Villa Receives Protection

An incredible Roman mosaic, the first of its kind in the UK, and surrounding villa complex has been discovered beneath a farmer's field in Rutland in the East Midlands, as the result of positive investment in agri-environment schemes.

Both have now been protected as a scheduled monument by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

Planning

Electric Vehicle Charging Points for All New Builds

The Prime Minister has announced that from 2022 all new homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces, as well as those undergoing major renovation, will be required to install electric vehicle charge points.

Environment

Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund

A reminder that applications are now open for the final round of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) from the Environment Agency.

The NEIRF is a competitive grants scheme providing grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 to support the development of environmental projects in England that help to achieve natural environmental outcomes from the 25 year environment plan and support the Governments' green finance strategy and goals for a green industrial revolution.

Sustainable Farming Incentive - Further Details Published

DEFRA has now published an update on its Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme - the first of the new environmental land management schemes, which will be rolled out in 2022.

The Environment Secretary George Eustice delivered a speech at the CLA conference, setting out his vision for farming, which include ambitions to deliver on the Government's environmental priorities to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change.

Tourism & Hospitality

Investment in England's Rail Networks

A reminder that the Government has published its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), which will see £96 billion of funding designated for rail construction and upgrades for the Midlands and the North of England. It is worth noting that this plan does not include the previously proposed plan for high-speed lines linking Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

Brexit & Immigration

Impacts of Brexit & Coronavirus on UK Trade in Services

The ONS has published a report on the impact of Coronavirus and Brexit on the UK’s trade in services with the EU. The report, which looks at data from the first half of the year shows that travel and tourism was the most impacted services sector.

Spain Joins EU Countries Offering Visa Free Touring

Spain is the latest EU member state to scrap post-Brexit visa requirements for UK musicians on short-term tours. This means that performers and their crews will no longer need visas for engagement of less than 90 days.  A full list of the other 20 countries offering visa-free short term touring can be found here.

Updated Touring Guidance for Arts Professionals

And a reminder that DCMS has updated its guidance on working, performing and touring in Europe for the performing arts and similar guidance for visual arts, the art market and museums.

Follow the Latest News & Guidance Around Brexit

The Heritage Alliance Brexit Hub collates the latest Brexit guidance that is relevant to the heritage sector. You can also read our briefings on Heritage, Brexit and Immigration on our website.

Have questions about Brexit and its impact on heritage?

The Historic Environment Forum continues to update its Brexit FAQs Trello Board with material to help the sector navigate the post-Brexit period.

Parliamentary & Other Government News

Also this fortnight:

The guidance for the Kickstart scheme has been updated to include a number of important closure dates​ that businesses involved in the scheme should be aware of, including starting the young person in the job on or before 31 March 2022. And a reminder that the DWP has produced a one-page guidance document with '5 tips for filling a kickstart vacancy'.

DCMS has published its National Data Strategy Mission 1 Policy Framework, outlining how the Government will set conditions to make private and third sector data more accessible and available across the UK.

BEIS has published a new version of the Assurance Guidance for Councils which sets out the minimum level of checks that Local Authorities should complete to provide assurance that they have addressed the risk of error, non-compliance and/or fraud associated with the various grants schemes that they have been responsible for allocating during the pandemic.

Funding

Emergency Resource Support Programme Is Reopened

To continue to support the sector throughout the winter period, the Emergency Resource Support programme has been reopened.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is now accepting Expression of Interests for Emergency Resource Support grants through the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. The deadline for submissions is 11 January 2022.

And a reminder that:

Online applications for the Arts Council England Capital Investment Programme are being accepted until 13 December.

Arts Council England has announced that applications to join its list of National Portfolio organisations will open on Monday 22 February 2022, with an application deadline of Tuesday 26th April 2022.

DLUHC has announced that £624 million of loan funding will now be made available for house builders, including SMEs, to support the creation of thousands of new homes.

Land owners, land managers and public bodies can apply to the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) for support to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation, on areas as small as 1 hectare.

Sector Digest

Read on for a breakdown of the latest news from across the sector.

Nominate a Charity to Receive £1000 to Support their Work

The annual 12 Days of Giving campaign from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group [Alliance Corporate Partner] will again this year see a share of £120,000 given to 120 nominated charities over 12 days, with a draw taking place each weekday from 6 - 21 December 2021.

To nominate a charity to be awarded a £1000 donation to support their work, please visit the Ecclesiastical website for further details.

We ask readers to please consider nominating the Heritage Alliance to receive a donation this year. Our charity number is 1094793.

Creativity & Mental Health Activity in Heritage Settings

A new report 'Creatively Minded & Heritage' commissioned by the Baring Foundation and produced by the Restoration Trust [Alliance member] brings together 18 case studies, demonstrating how heritage can be used creatively to improve people’s mental health and community connections across the UK.

Support Heritage Sector Workforce Diversity Research 

In partnership with the Institute for Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick, Historic England is asking organisations for previously unpublished diversity data to fill some of the gaps in its knowledge about sector diversity. 

As part of their Inclusion Strategy 2021-2023, Historic England is committed to making the heritage workforce and volunteers (including their own) more representative of society. However, before they can work with the sector to address this, they need to have data on the current demographic make-up of the sector’s workforce (including volunteers and governance roles), to inform the next steps.

Data can be shared through this survey, with a deadline of 15 December. The results of this work will be made available to the sector to help inform future work on improving the diversity of the workforce, and to understand gaps in data within the sector.

Empty Department Store Transformations

A recent article in The Guardian has featured projects demonstrating the development of community-led approaches to reviving high streets and town centres, with a particular focus on former department stores are being brought back into use as spaces for local communities.

Among the projects mentioned was the work of Pop Recs Ltd, the Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust and AGE Concern Southend, as well as a number of other schemes funded through the Architectural Heritage Fund [Alliance member].

New Director for National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund [Alliance member] has announced that Eilish McGuinness has been appointed as its new Chief Executive, and will take up the role in the new year. Eilish will take over from Ros Kerslake CBE, who announced in July she was stepping down as CEO of the Heritage Fund and National Heritage Memorial Fund after five and a half years.

New Directors Announced for AHRC

The Arts and Humanities Research Council has announced the appointment of new directors joined its team. Dr Jaideep Gupte will join as Director of Strategy, Research and Innovation, and Dr Allan Sudlow, as the new Director of Partnerships and Engagement.

The two new directors have been appointed to the AHRC's Executive Leadership team, and will be joined by five new programme directors, appointed to help deliver AHRC’s vision. A full list of the new appointments can be found here.

Alliance Member News

A snapshot of the current work of our members.

Consultations

Open Consultations:

• Natural England - Open access restriction at Williams Cleugh - 6 December

• MHCLG - National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme: stakeholder survey - 17 December

• ONS - Proposed Future Approach to Measure Travel and Tourism Statistics - 21 December

• Natural England - Open access restriction at Lazy Knowe - 21 December

2022

• DCMS - Promoting Britain Abroad Inquiry - 6 January

• BEIS - Phasing Out the Installation of Fossil Fuel Heating in Homes off the Gas Grid - 12 January

• BEIS - Phasing out fossil fuels on business and public buildings - 12 January

• Ofqual - Consultation on designing and developing accessible assessments - 24 January

• Ofqual - Regulating Digital Functional Skills Qualification - 27 January

• DLUHC - Changes to the Capital Framework: Minimum Revenue Provision - 8 February

• DLUHC & HM Treasury - Business Rates Review - 22 February

• HM Revenue & Customs - Income Tax Self Assessment registration for the self-employed and landlords  - 22 February

• 9 & 10 March - Heritage Day 2022 - save the dates!

Open access restriction at Lazy Knowe

How to learn about plans to change public access to open access land at Lazy Knowe in Northumberland.

Deadline: 21 December

Regulating Digital Functional Skills Qualification

​Ofqual is seeking views on its remaining policy proposals and draft Conditions, Requirements and Guidance for new Digital Functional Skills qualifications. The new qualifications will be designed to provide students with core digital skills.

Deadline: 27 January 2022

Changes to the Capital Framework: Minimum Revenue Provision

DLUHC is seeking views on proposed changes to regulations to better enforce the duty of local authorities to make prudent Minimum Revenue Provision each year.

Deadline: 8 February 2022

Business Rates Review

DLUHC and HM Treasury are seeking views on the Government's intentions for how it will give effect to a number of measures arising from its recent business rates review.

Deadline: 22 February 2022

Income Tax Self Assessment Registration

HM Revenue & Customs has launched a call for evidence on Income Tax Self Assessment registration for the self-employed and landlords.

This forms part of a collection of consultations and calls for evidence in a range of tax administration and tax policy areas published by the Government (summarised here).

Deadline: 22 February 2022

Events

Upcoming Heritage Events - Quick Look

• 7 December: The Terraced House Plan in 20th & 21st Centuries by Dave King, The Victorian Society
• 14 December: British Muslims & the Natural World by Dr Mark Bryant​, The Gardens Trust
• 14 December: Second Tuesday Talk: The Conservation & Installation of Two Locomotives During the Pandemic​, YCCC
• 14 December: Griff Rhys Jones on Restoration: “That’s The Way the Money Goes…”, The Victorian Society
• 15 December: The Prince's Foundation Carol Concert 2021
• 16 December: High Street Regeneration: Making the Case & Finding the Money, Heritage Trust Network

2022

• 4 January: Country Life at 125 by John Goodall, The Victorian Society
• 11 January: The Victorian Short Story​, The Victorian Society

• 19 January - 3 February: London Luminaries - Winter Lecture Series​, English Heritage

• 26 January: Splendour in the North: Sharpe, Paley and Austin, a Family Affair, The Victorian Society
• 31 January: Going Through the Mill pay-to-view online talk, the SPAB

Courses

Upcoming Heritage Courses:

• 2 - 3 December: Lime Plastering - Level 1, CarringtonLIME
• 9 & 16 December: Advanced Copyright for Museums and Galleries​, Naomi Korn Associates

2022

• 26 January: Orphan Works Post Brexit - One Year On​, Naomi Korn
• 13 January: Health & Safety for Conservators, Icon
• 15 January: Understanding Damp in Older Properties, CarringtonLIME
• 15 March: Health & Safety for Conservators, Icon

Jobs

Salaried

Advocacy & Communications Assistant - The Heritage Alliance (Kickstart)

We are looking for an Advocacy and Communications Assistant through the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, who will be part of the Policy and Communications team at The Heritage Alliance.

This role is ideal for someone with an interest in the heritage sector, who wants to develop their understanding of heritage policy and build their communications skills.

Further details about the role and how to apply can be found on our website.

Notes & Subscriptions

The voice of the independent heritage movement, Heritage Update is a free e-bulletin produced on a fortnightly basis by The Heritage Alliance.

You can also visit our website to access an archive of previous issues.

Advertise in Heritage Update

Heritage Update reaches an estimated 14,000 inboxes, is tweeted to over 22k Twitter followers, and is shared on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Sharing news, events, courses and vacancies in Heritage Update is free for Heritage Alliance Members, or costs £165 per ad per issue for non-members.

We also welcome image-based advertising for academic courses, projects and services of interest to the sector. This costs £75 for members (to feature an 'enhanced' member news item) and £185 for non-members.

More information about advertising with us can be found on our website.

Schedule of forthcoming issues:

• Issue 458 - Thurs 16 December (content deadline: Fri 10 December)
• [Break for the holidays]
• Issue 459 - Thurs 13 January (content deadline: Fri 7 January)
• Issue 460 - Thurs 27 January (content deadline: Fri 21 January)

If you wish to use or quote from items in Heritage Update, you should always check the accuracy and current position with the source. The Heritage Alliance cannot guarantee the accuracy of (or accept any responsibility for) the contents of Heritage Update.

Become a Sponsor for Heritage Update

As we work to improve Heritage Update as an important resource for the sector, we are currently developing sponsorship packages for the new and improved Heritage Update.

Sponsors of Heritage Update receive a package of benefits including having their name and logo displayed on our website, having their logo displayed at the top of each issue of Heritage Update, and receiving recognition for their contribution to the sector in our communications about the newsletter.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Heritage Update, please email development@theheritagealliance.org.uk.

Support The Heritage Alliance

A donation to The Heritage Alliance will help us to champion, inspire, catalyse and support the independent heritage sector. Thank you.

Contact Us

Chief Executive
Lizzie Glithero-West
lizzie.glithero-west@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Advocacy & Communications Officer (Heritage Update Contact)
Daniella Briscoe-Peaple 0207 233 0800
comms@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Head of Policy & Communications
Polly Martin 0207 233 0700
policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Head of Development & Membership
Delphine Jasmin-Belisle 0207 233 0600
development@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Projects Officer
Saffron Ralphs
projects@theheritagealliance.org.uk

A full list of our staff contact information can be found on our website here.

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Heritage Update is produced by The Heritage Alliance, with thanks to our generous sponsors the Historic Houses Foundation.

Image credits (in order of appearance): The Landmark Trust; Waterloo Uncovered; English Heritage; Heritage Open Days;  Wessex Archaeology; The SPAB; National Historic Ships UK. Details of the header image are listed at the top of each issue.