Local authorities are essential to the protection and management of England’s historic environment. Over 150 authorities have now recognised the benefits of appointing a Heritage Champion and have asked an elected Member to undertake the role. They have been involved in a wide range of activities and projects, and have enabled their local authority to make much better use of the historic environment resources at their disposal.

Local Authority Heritage Champions have demonstrated that they can:

• Help unlock the untapped cultural, social and economic potential of the local historic environment
• Provide leadership for heritage issues within the authority
• Join up policy between departments across the local authority and ensure the historic environment is taken into account in the development of all the authority’s policies, plans and forward strategies
• Develop a close working relationship with the Design Champion, ensuring that the authority has a seamless and coherent approach to the built and historic environment
• Promote the cultural heritage of everybody in the local community
• Identify opportunities for the authority to use the historic environment in the pursuit of its wider corporate objectives

Background

The notion that the historic environment can make a significant contribution to much of what a local authority does is becoming increasingly accepted. Among other things, the historic environment can

• act as a cornerstone for regeneration projects
• underpin local employment and attract inward investment
  provide distinctive and vibrant retail environments
• create greater community cohesion and social inclusion
• offer a local educational resource

In short, a well cared for and managed local historic environment improves everybody’s quality of life.

By appointing a Heritage Champion, local authorities are providing leadership for heritage issues within the authority. Champions ensure that the historic environment is properly considered when key decisions are taken and work to identify opportunities where it can make a contribution to wider corporate objectives. The role involves identifying the historic environment ‘angle’ to the authority’s policies on such wide-ranging areas as parks, highways and planning and ensuring that it is taken into account at all stages of the decision making process. This also involves ensuring that partner bodies, such as the Local Strategic Partnership, consider the historic environment in the development of their policies and strategies.

There are also a number of other areas of wider Government policy where local government is playing a leading role. The modernisation of the planning system, the sustainable communities agenda and the increasingly important local area agreements are examples where Champions can help ensure that the historic environment plays a key role in the development of policy.

How does it Work?

The majority of Champions are elected members. Many are cabinet portfolio holders, but there are also a significant number of Champions who are ‘backbench’ councillors and several who are senior officers. A role description is detailed elsewhere on this leaflet. This is not meant to be prescriptive, but has been drawn up with help from existing Champions and a range of local authorities facing a variety of historic environment issues. We realise that there are many different models of management structures across English local authorities, together with differing functions, responsibilities and local circumstances. All of which means that the role of Heritage Champion will vary between authorities.

Historic Environment - Local Management (HELM) Update

The HELM project was launched by English Heritage in March 2004. It is a suite of awareness raising and training tools designed to improve planning, land management,
economic and social development decisions relating to the historic environment, and is aimed at local authority officers and members. It is being delivered by distance learning, training seminars, courses and a series of publications which are also accessible on the HELM website (www.helm.org.uk). To date these include

• Regeneration & the Historic Environment
• Low Demand Housing & the Historic Environment
• Local Strategic Partnerships & the Historic Environment
• Streets for All
• The Future of Historic School Buildings
• Transport & the Historic Environment

Further information on the HELM project is also available on this website (see About HELM) or via email at info@helm.org.uk.

The Relationship between Historic Environment and Design Champions

Many local authorities have already appointed Design Champions, either at senior officer or at Member level. The primary role of a Design Champion is to ensure that design issues are taken into account at each stage of the decision making process within the local authority. There is a clear relationship between the roles of Design and Heritage Champions, and as a result many local authorities have decided that the two roles should be combined. English Heritage and CABE have provided joint training in this area and are currently finalising details of the future programme.

Further details, advice and information regarding the role and responsibilities of Design Champions are available from CABE (enquiries@cabe.org.uk, tel 020 7960 2400 or www.cabe.org.uk).

So you’ve been appointed your local authority's Heritage Champion. What do you do next?

• Make contact with English Heritage. We will ensure that you have up to date information about the HELM project and its publications and training programme and that you are kept in touch with developments including the emerging regional networks of Champions around the country. We can also put you in touch with one of our nine regional offices who will be able to offer advice on how we can work with your authority.
• Explore the HELM website and familiarise yourself with the material that is currently available. In addition to the publications already detailed, the website contains a comprehensive library of guidance documents and an extensive collection of case studies of best practice.
• Research what kind of training and development opportunities are available. In addition to English Heritage’s HELM project, other organisations offer training courses in related areas, such as CABE.
• Seek to foster working relationships with senior officers within the Authority, particularly those in related departments such as planning, environment, highways and regeneration.
• Establish whether or not your Authority has a Design Champion. If it has, you should organise regular liaison meetings and include relevant senior officers.
• Establish early contact with specialist officers in your authority. Historic environment staff, such as conservation or archaeological officers, will be best placed to let you know what the key issues are locally.

Conclusion

We know that appointing a Heritage Champion can lead to significant benefits for a local authority and its community. Champions provide leadership and a symbol of commitment on the part of the Authority, and can join up policy and strategy across departments. This greater degree of focus on the historic environment delivers real benefits for everybody.

For further information on Heritage Champions, please contact English Heritage on 020 7973 3279 or via email champions@english-heritage.org.uk.

Please also read the:

Role Description and Case Studies.