Capturing the Public Value of Heritage - HELM

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with the public – that we recognise that our job is to care for and decode the past on their behalf. He also reminded us of people such as John Betjeman who, as an expert, was also able to open people’s eyes to the value of heritage. Indeed, the new Conservation Principles presented by Edward Impey stress this role (English Heritage 2006, 23): Practitioners should use their knowledge, skills and experience to encourage people to understand, value and care for their heritage. They play a crucial role in communicating and sustaining the established values of places, and in helping people to articulate the values they attach to places. This is an issue that is hugely important for the Heritage Lottery Fund – Liz Forgan noted that We must never forget that our role is to give out money that comes from lottery players. Their views matter. The problem is, she said, that heritage people tend to assume that it is slightly dangerous to ask people what they think. The Heritage Lottery Fund’s own experience has been that experts can learn a lot by talking to the public, and at the same time – as the Citizens’ Juries showed – people who are not necessarily heritage specialists can gain new insights into what heritage is all about. Indeed, the juries went to the heart of some of the key issues for the Heritage Lottery Fund – sustainability, involving communities and the importance of good project leaders. Heritage champions are playing an increasingly important role in creating a voice for heritage specialists in local authorities; in the language of public value they help heritage people to engage with the many different stakeholders that make up their ‘authorising environment’. Cllr Garnett spoke about her role in making practical connections between heritage and wider local authority agendas – communities, the economy and the very practical business of keeping North Yorkshire’s hundreds of historic bridges open for use. By making these connections, heritage champions can engender trust by helping to overcome prejudices about heritage, which in turn can help local authorities see heritage as something widely beneficial. It was David Lammy who reminded us of the complex relationship between specialists and society. When looking back at earlier heritage champions, he said that Although the push for change has often come from the elite vanguard, time and time again the driver has been the need to address social change in periods of rapid economic and cultural change. They responded to what the public wanted, and what society needed. Yet the minister raised some tough challenges. He said that the heritage sector is perceived as experts talking to themselves, and identified a lack of trust. And he asked how we nurture a ‘national heritage’ in a world where concepts of heritage – and whose heritage – are becoming far more complex. These questions became the core issues in the debate at the last session of the conference, which asked, ‘Whose values matter?’ 94 CAPTURING THE PUBLIC VALUE OF HERITAGE
Discussion 3. Whose values matter? Chair: Nick Higham (Arts and Media Correspondent, BBC) Panel Bonnie Greer (British Museum Trustee) Ben Rogers (Head of Democracy, Institute of Public Policy Research) Simon Thurley (Chief Executive, English Heritage) Graham Wynne, (Chief Executive, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) Professor the Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey The Issues � Do we get the heritage we deserve? � Are heritage organisations in touch with what the public cares about? � What happens when the views of experts and the public conflict? � Do heritage bodies have the right organisational values to do their jobs properly? The words below are not necessarily exactly those that were spoken, and are intended instead to capture the overall flavour of the discussion. Chair: Over the past two days we have heard a lot about the ways in which the values of heritage can be measured, and we have been shown how the public is increasingly being drawn in to that process. However, the Secretary of State has also made it clear that as far as she is concerned there is still a need for a radically different mindset in the way our heritage institutions work and make their decisions. So, just how far are you, the professionals, in touch with the public, and what happens when you do not agree with one another? Baroness Young Things are getting more sophisticated, but the organisations themselves are not yet very diverse. Lots of people do not yet know how to make a connection between ‘high heritage’ and ‘personal heritage’. Chair: Are these legitimate criticisms? Ben Rogers There is hardly any institution that is fully in touch with the public. The public does, though, have a special appetite to get involved in heritage through television programmes (eg Restoration) and schemes like the Local Heritage Initiative – it is happening. Chair: Are you working with an outmoded definition of heritage, and outdated ways of working? Simon Thurley The publication of Power of Place in 2000 opened our eyes to what exists beyond desig- THE VALUES OF HERITAGE INSTITUTIONS 95
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Capturing the Public Value of Herit
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Capturing the Public Value of Herit
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Contents Introduction 1 1 The Publi
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Introduction ‘What is aught, but
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Heritage and public value In fact,
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1 The Public Values of Heritage Rt
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etween public value and heritage an
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So people who are interested in thi
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Challenges facing the heritage sect
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Public value as a framework for ana
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RH: The point about cultural values
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internal debate between funders and
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social groups. It is possible to im
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� providing a valuable tool for d
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debating who should have the right
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Quantifying institutional responsiv
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Discussion 1. Public value: how use
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particular class of heritage asset
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Sustainable communities: the econom
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know how and when they will be invo
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Fig 17 A £3.2 million grant from t
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Conclusion I want to finish where I
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tenants or the benefits accruing to
Page 49 and 50: value triangle’ in John Holden’
Page 51 and 52: taken place as a result of that vis
Page 53 and 54: communities as well as on individua
Page 55 and 56: high-quality public space has a ran
Page 57 and 58: ook of essays on the subject of ‘
Page 59 and 60: Heritage on the front line: the rol
Page 61 and 62: y Alfred the Great in 886. However,
Page 63 and 64: � 50 young rangers have been recr
Page 65 and 66: From significance to sustainability
Page 67 and 68: Discussion 2. The instrumental bene
Page 69: 3 The Intrinsic Values of Heritage
Page 72 and 73: and others to found the Council for
Page 74 and 75: signifiers of class, religion and l
Page 76 and 77: Capturing the value of places - ope
Page 78 and 79: extrinsic, including physical ones.
Page 80 and 81: Nationally significant resources no
Page 82 and 83: example of a government-owned build
Page 84 and 85: influencing schools to include natu
Page 86 and 87: tions deserve to be listened to wit
Page 88 and 89: As we look ahead to the government
Page 90 and 91: much discussion, it was decided tha
Page 92 and 93: The value of heritage - what does t
Page 94 and 95: South Wales In Wales, the jurors vi
Page 96 and 97: � the benefits to the area where
Page 98 and 99: The Citizens’ Jury Fig 50 A highl
Page 102 and 103: nation. English Heritage’s role i
Page 105 and 106: Conclusion ‘To be effective perfo
Page 107 and 108: has been involved in numerous major
Page 109 and 110: Delegates attending the conference
Page 111 and 112: Colin McLean Heritage Lottery Fund
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