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The past is the future
IT’S time to ‘put the past at the heart’ of the nation’s future, urges The Heritage Alliance (HA), which has set out a five-point manifesto ahead of the next general election. The HA, a coalition of some 200 heritage organisations, such as the National Trust, Historic Houses and the Heritage Railway Association, has emphasised to all political parties the importance of the nation’s heritage industry to both the economy and net-zero goals. The group notes that ‘heritage is a £36 billion industry, our most popular cultural export and our favourite national pastime’ and that heritage is at the ‘heart of communities from urban centres to the countryside’. Although acknowledging the support for the heritage sector during the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, the HA warns that ‘challenges remain’, such as lower volunteering and visitor numbers, endangered specialist skills and a national retrofit resolution to meet climate-change priorities.
As a result, the HA has released the Heritage Manifesto, which sets out five key priorities for all decision-makers and includes supporting community cohesion and putting heritage at the heart of regeneration; embedding the historic environment in Nature-recovery and net-zero strategies; reforming the tax regime to promote long-term sustainable growth; harness cultural learning and skills at every age; and futureproofing heritage institutions at both a national and local level.
‘Heritage is our greatest national asset and plays an important role in
