Valuing our Heritage

The Historic Houses Association has joined with Britain's other leading heritage organisations (English Heritage, National Trust, Heritage Link and the Heritage Lottery Fund) to present to Government: Valuing our Heritage - The case for future investment in the historic environment. (click below to download this document)

This report details the challenges facing owners and guardians of historic places and making positive proposals for meeting these challenges. It presents Government with a major opportunity to halt the decline in the state of thousands of historic buildings and to broaden audiences and get more people involved with the historic environment.

Figures show that there is a backlog of over £1 billion in outstanding repairs at listed places of worship and charitably and privately owned heritage.

The report identifies ways in which the Government can assist, including the needs to invest in the historic assets themselves. Restoring English Heritage’s grant in aid to 1997 levels (£3m per annum); the introduction of a fiscal incentive for maintenance (£10m per annum); and an increase in the National Heritage Memorial Fund as a funder of last resort for heritage at risk (£10m per annum) are key asks.