Loyd, thank you for that introduction.

I am delighted to be here this morning, to celebrate with all of you our shared commitment to our heritage and historic environment.

And to launch my Heritage Statement.

I am particularly pleased to be here in this wonderful, historic, Grade I listed building, the home of the Royal Society of Arts since 1774.

This year is the 70th anniversary of the listing system. And Historic England’s website tells me that this building was first listed in 1958.

As you will know, Historic England is encouraging people to enrich the list by adding new information about listed buildings and places. So this morning I took the opportunity to enrich the list myself, by noting that in this building on the 5th December 2017, a certain John Glen launched the 2017 Heritage Statement. A historic moment indeed!

My Heritage Statement sets out our direction and priorities for heritage in the coming years. It builds on the commitments we made in last year’s Culture White Paper.

It links our agenda for heritage to our wider agendas and strategies: for industry, for regeneration and placemaking, for skills, for the environment, and for an internationalist, outward-looking Britain.

And it focuses on areas where we in government can help to support all of you in the heritage sector and add value to the fantastic work that you are all doing to conserve, protect and promote our heritage.

All of us in this room understand the value of heritage. But there are people who question why we are devoting government resources and public money to heritage when there are so many other pressing issues for us to address.

My Statement seeks to set out just why this government sees heritage as such an important national priority.

Our heritage is an integral part of every community. It is there in the places where we live, work and visit. It provides employment for thousands of people, and learning, training and volunteering opportunities for thousands more. It is part of what makes this country so attractive to international businesses and tourists.

We must continue to make the case for heritage and demonstrate how investing in our heritage and historic environment benefits our economy, our communities, our wellbeing and our quality of life.

Across the country there are some fantastic examples of heritage and historic buildings being restored and placed back at the heart of their local communities, attracting business and tourism. We must celebrate these places and use them to show what can be achieved.

Since being appointed as Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism earlier this year, I have travelled around the country and seen just a small fraction of our nation’s heritage and the amazing work being done to protect and promote it.

I have been struck by the sheer variety of our heritage. And I have been impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of the many people – specialists, professionals and volunteers – who care for and promote our heritage.

I was very disappointed not to be able to attend Historic England’s Angel Awards last month. They recognise inspiring and dedicated individuals and groups who have achieved fantastic results rescuing our heritage and telling its story. From the restoration of historic places to innovative projects delivered by and for young people, the breadth and impact of these initiatives is truly awesome.

The overall winner this year – the magnificent Piece Hall in Halifax, which is featured as a case study in the Heritage Statement – is a superb example of a historic place being restored and brought back into use for the benefit of local people and local businesses, as well as a magnet for visitors.

Historic England’s Heritage Action Zones are demonstrating how our heritage can help to create economic growth and improve the quality of life in our villages, towns and cities. In Hull, which has had an amazing year as UK City of Culture 2017, the Heritage Action Zone will help to ensure that part of the legacy of 2017 is seen in the city’s physical environment.

In 2021 another city will benefit from being UK City of Culture. I will announce on Thursday which city that will be. Don’t ask me today which city has been chosen – I haven’t been told yet!

I have, however, been informed of the next group of places to become Heritage Action Zones. I am delighted to say that there are eight of them, and I am extremely pleased to be able to announce them today.

These places had to beat off very stiff competition to be selected as Heritage Action Zones. They will benefit from working in partnership with Historic England, receiving expertise, advice and grant funding, as well as working closely with other local partners, to unleash the power of their local historic environment. I hope that they will prove to be an excellent vehicle for investment by others as well as Historic England.

The eight new Heritage Action Zones are: Bishop Auckland, Dewsbury Living Market Town, Greater Grimsby, North Lowestoft Heritage Quarter, Rochdale Town Centre, Stockton and Darlington Railway, Stoke-on-Trent, and Walworth in Southwark.

I am also announcing today that we are working with Historic England to launch a new scheme to enable local communities to identify, mark and celebrate the events, people and places that are important to them. The events that helped to shape their communities. The people who left their mark on history. And the places where history was made.

This new scheme will include a competition to design a plaque or marker to share these stories.

It will encourage more people to find out about the heritage around them and the history of the places where they live and work. It will help to create local pride and an increased sense of belonging. And, by encouraging communities to make the most of the heritage and history on their doorsteps, it will offer more opportunities for increased tourism, employment and economic growth.

And continuing with the announcements, I can also announce today a new World Heritage Wall to Wall Collaboration linking our Hadrian’s Wall experts with their Great Wall of China counterparts.

This collaboration is part of the UK – China People to People dialogue. It is a perfect example of the global significance of heritage and how it can be used to strengthen our international partnerships, grow tourism and build a truly global Britain.

There has – rightly – been concern recently over loss or damage to buildings while they are being considered for listing. This is unacceptable and I recognise that we need to protect our heritage while the formal process of listing is in progress. So we are working with our partners to identify the best way to provide appropriate protection while respecting the rights of owners and developers.

A priority for me, over the next few years, will be to ensure that heritage is properly considered in all aspects of the government’s policy-making.

To help me in this, I am planning to set up a Heritage Council. I intend to invite senior representatives from those Departments whose policies have an impact on heritage and the historic environment to join the Council, as well as representatives from the heritage sector.

The Council will be a forum for discussing current issues, finding solutions, promoting best practice and supporting co-operation across the heritage sector and between the public, private and voluntary sectors.

A major part of the Chancellor’s recent Budget focussed on housing and the need to provide more homes across the country. You may also have heard about proposals to review the planning regime. Let me assure you that I will be in close contact with the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure that the opportunities which our heritage provides for placemaking, as well as the need to protect the historic environment, are factored in at all stages, as these initiatives proceed. The new Heritage Council will play a key role in helping me to do this.

In the six months I have been in office, I have been hugely impressed by the innovative and imaginative ways in which old buildings are being put to new uses, combined with creative ways to fund them and make them sustainable. But I know that rescuing and breathing new life into historic places is not easy. We need to work together to identify the issues and barriers and to find solutions, so that our historic environment can continue to contribute to our economy and society. My new Heritage Council can help to drive this shared ambition forward.

I know that many of you have concerns about the amount of VAT charged on the repair and maintenance of historic buildings, and about other aspects of the tax system as it applies to heritage and the historic environment.

I want to assure you that I hear and understand those concerns. Whilst tax and fiscal changes are challenging at the best of times, I will continue to work with the Treasury to keep under review the scope for possible changes.

And I would ask that you work together across the sector to identify the changes which are most important to you and to build the strongest possible evidence base to help make the case for those changes.

That evidence base will also help to support and justify further investment and policy measures for our heritage. It will provide a firm basis for funding and investment, not only by government but by private funders and investors.

The National Lottery has generated billions of pounds in funding for heritage – over £7.7 billion since 1994. But I am sure you are all aware of the financial challenge to be faced due to falling lottery receipts. I am confident that the heritage sector can rise to this challenge and find new, innovative sources of funding. My new Heritage Council can help to identify and promote new ways of raising funding and investment.

Finally, I started by referring to the RSA, who are hosting us today in this magnificent place. I would like to end by mentioning our other host – the Heritage Alliance, who have organised this event.

I have talked today about collaboration and partnership working. Fortunately, the heritage sector already has many fantastic examples of excellent partnerships. And the Heritage Alliance is another great example of that. I commend the work of the Heritage Alliance. We are very fortunate to have Loyd, Lizzie and the rest of the team doing the great work that they do for our heritage and for the heritage sector.

Our heritage is a precious part of our country. My Heritage Statement sets out issues we need to address and measures we need to take to ensure that current and future generations can enjoy and benefit from it.

As we take forward the priorities and ambitions set out in the Heritage Statement, we will need your engagement, advice and your support.

I look forward to working with you all on this.

Independent research with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds has found that the majority feel there are barriers to them being successful in business.

Called ‘Ideas mean business: views on innovation among young, disadvantaged adults’, the report was commissioned by Innovate UK, in partnership with The Prince’s Trust. It is based on research conducted by YouGov, which lays bare that:

• 82% of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds view the business sector as difficult to access
• 4 in 5 (78%) wouldn’t know where to go to get advice about setting up a business, with the main barrier being a lack of funding (79%)
• just 8% would describe themselves as entrepreneurial

Yet, despite being aware of the challenges, many of those questioned had high ambitions:

• more than half (54%) would like to run their own company
• 39% have ideas for products and services they think they could sell

Ideas Mean Business

Ideasmeanbusiness launch event

To help more young adults make their ideas a success, Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust are launching a national campaign to find the next generation of UK innovators, and provide them with support, advice and funding.

The programme – Ideas Mean Business – is open to 18 to 30-year-olds from a range of backgrounds. We are inviting young adults with ideas to fix everyday problems, make changes in their community or tackle environmental issues to take part.

A series of regional innovation events will run through January 2018 to help anyone interested to develop their ideas. The competition will then open in February 2018, with the award package being presented in March 2018.

Advice, support and inspiration

Dr Ruth McKernan CBE, Chief Executive of Innovate UK, says:

There are young people from all walks of life across the UK who have great ideas. But for some there are barriers that stop those innovations becoming a reality.

A little advice, finding the right support and inspiration to succeed can make all the difference. By focusing on young people from diverse backgrounds and motivating them to see how their ideas mean business, we hope to unearth the UK’s future innovators.

Lindsay Owen, Director of Policy and Evaluation at The Prince’s Trust, adds:

For thousands of young people across the UK, starting their own business could be a viable route to success, and a sustainable income for themselves and their families.

Although many of these young people are evidently brimming with ideas and entrepreneurial spirit, a lack of confidence they can succeed appears to be holding them back.

While their concerns are understandable, in fact, their worries are unfounded; funding and support are available to help get new business ideas off the ground. The underlying problem, therefore, appears to be a lack of knowledge about what support is out there.

We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Innovate UK because with the right support from organisations like ours and from government, there is no limit to how much these young people can achieve.

Campaign launch

Investor, entrepreneur and ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, Deborah Meaden officially launched the campaign today at a pop-up coffee shop in Angel, London.

Young people were invited to attend and speak with business mentors and experts, including successful young innovators such as 19-year-old entrepreneur Ben Towers.

Deborah Meaden, explains:

Young people represent our future, so to describe their engagement in business and innovation as crucial is no overstatement.

With the new research from Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust highlighting the scale of their disengagement and sense of mistrust, it is clear we need to urgently re-frame the business and innovation landscape as one that is open and inclusive of ideas that come from anywhere and from anyone. I believe the campaign will be hugely successful in welcoming in the next generation of UK innovators.

Commenting on the campaign, Science Minister, Jo Johnson said:

The UK is one of the most innovative countries in the world and in order to continue this global leadership we need to inspire the next generation of inventors. The initiative will do exactly that, helping our young innovators make their ideas a reality.

In our Industrial Strategy, we pledged to break down the barriers preventing talent from growing. This will enable us to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to take their innovative ideas to the next level and prepare them for the technologically driven future that awaits.

• Two World Heritage Sites to work together on research, education and tourism growth
• New Heritage Council to be launched emphasising value of historic environment, building consensus and ensuring greater coordination across government

Hadrian’s Wall and The Great Wall of China will sign a unique collaboration agreement to increase the historical and cultural understanding of the two sites, Heritage Minister John Glen announced today as he set out his priorities for heritage.

Representatives from the two World Heritage Sites will work together to examine the challenges and opportunities of managing large and complex archaeological remains and explore the potential tourism growth in both countries.

The agreement – the first of its kind – was announced by John Glen as he launched his framework for the growth of the heritage sector.

The Heritage Statement outlines how he wants to strengthen the sector, through regeneration and placemaking, skills and environment and how it will contribute to an outward-looking global Britain.

Measures in the statement include:

• Launching a new Heritage Council, chaired by the Minister, to emphasise the value of the historic environment, build consensus and ensure greater coordination.
• A new commemorative scheme to be rolled out across England to mark and celebrate the events, people and places that have shaped local communities.
• Exploring options to strengthen interim protection measures and reduce the risk of damage or destruction to sites while they are being considered for listing.
• Working with Historic England and Heritage Lottery Fund to support the digitisation of historic environment records and heritage archives to help councils make informed planning decisions and increase public appreciation for their local heritage.

Heritage Minister John Glen said:

The Wall to Wall Collaboration is the perfect example of how heritage can be used to strengthen international partnerships, grow tourism and build a truly global Britain.

Today I am setting out how we will continue to make the case for heritage, and showcase the benefits it brings to our economy, our communities and our quality of life.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:

“The Minister has reaffirmed the importance of our heritage to creating great places, to the economy, to communities and to our wellbeing. We look forward to delivering a new place-marker scheme to enable local communities to identify, mark and celebrate the events, people and places that are important to them along with eight new Heritage Action Zones which will help to revive towns and cities that are rich in heritage. I also look forward to a fruitful collaboration between Historic England and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage with the signing of the Wall to Wall agreement.”

The Wall to Wall Collaboration is part of the People to People Dialogue – a cultural exchange between China and the UK taking place in London this week. The initiative arose from the UK-China Cultural Heritage High Level Dialogue, held in Beijing and Xi’an in February 2017, when the conservation of the two Walls was one of the key topics.

Historic England and Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, which manages the Great Wall, will sign the agreement on Thursday. They will hold a seminar in Newcastle next year – the first step in a wider programme of collaboration between the two sites.

The Minister also celebrated the strength of UK heritage in his speech at the Heritage Day conference, organised by Heritage Alliance.

The UK heritage sector contributed £987 million to the UK economy last year – a rise of 7% on 2015 – and employs 278,000 people. Previous research commissioned by English Heritage in 2010 found that every £1 of public sector investment in heritage-led regeneration generated £1.60 return.

ENDS

For more information please contact the DCMS press office: 0207 211 2210

The Environment Agency’s £100m Boston Barrier – which will better protect more than 14,000 properties from tidal flooding – has been given the green light by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Michael Gove, and HM Treasury.

The tidal barrier will feature a moveable gate across the River Witham (also known locally as the Haven), together with a new control building to operate the barrier, new flood defence walls on both banks, and a replacement gate across the entrance to the existing Port of Boston wet dock.

The Barrier will make Boston one of the best protected areas from flooding outside of London.

The Secretary of State has now approved the Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) to grant powers to construct and operate the barrier, and work is set to begin in January.

The Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

Not only is this fantastic news for the 14,000 home and business owners who will be better protected from flooding – Boston’s new state of the art defences will help attract investment, benefitting the wider area.

This is just one of many flood schemes being built in Lincolnshire and we are investing £229 million over six years to better protect communities across the county.

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

The Boston Barrier scheme is an inspiring example of collaborative work between the Environment Agency, councils, businesses and the local community.

I am pleased that it will help to protect more than 14,000 homes and businesses from the kind of flooding the town experienced in December 2013. I look forward to the finished scheme.

Following approval for the scheme’s full business case from HM Treasury last week, the contract for the project has been awarded to Bam Nuttall and Mott MacDonald joint venture (BMMJV).

BMMJV Framework Director Allan Rogers said:

We are looking forward to delivering this innovative flood protection scheme.

We have a proven track record of success having recently completed phase one of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Boston has a long history of tidal flooding. The town flooded in 1953, again in 1978, and more recently during the tidal surge on 5 December 2013 when defences were over-topped, damaged or breached. This affected the town extensively, with more than 800 properties flooded across 55 streets.

The Environment Agency is investing £2.5 billion across the country, which will see 1,500 flood defences reducing risk to 300,000 homes by 2021.

Everyone has a responsibility to take measures to protect themselves from flooding, such as knowing your risk, signing up for the Environment Agency’s free flood warnings, and making a flood plan so you’re prepared in advance. Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visit www.gov.uk/flood for more information.

At 18:46 hrs on Tuesday 7 November, an Arriva Rail London (London Overground) service from Dalston Junction to Battersea Park came to a stand, shortly before reaching Peckham Rye station. A faulty component on the train had caused the brakes to apply, and the driver was unable to release them. There were about 450 passengers on the train.

The train driver spoke over the train radio system with the service controller, train technicians, and the signaller. Following these conversations he began, with the assistance of staff from Peckham Rye station, to evacuate the passengers from the train via the door at the right-hand side of the driver’s cab at the front of the train. This involved passengers climbing down vertical steps to ground level, very close to the live electric conductor rail (3rd rail) and walking along the side of the line about 30 metres to Peckham Rye station.

Soon afterwards, an operations manager from GTR (which manages Peckham Rye station) contacted station staff and realised they were at the side of the electrically energised track assisting in the evacuation, and that about 80 passengers had already left the train by this route. The operations manager immediately instructed staff to stop the evacuation, and requested that the train driver contact the signaller and his company’s controller for further instructions.

The driver, with further advice from train technicians, then isolated various safety systems which enabled him to release the brakes and move the train forward into Peckham Rye station, arriving at about 19:40 hrs. It was then possible for all the passengers to leave the train normally, and it proceeded, empty, to the depot at New Cross Gate. No-one was hurt in the incident.

Our investigation will examine:

• The sequence of events and the various radio conversations leading up to the incident
• The management of the incident and reasons for the decisions that were taken
• The training, instruction, and competence management of the staff involved
• Any underlying management factors

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry, or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

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