Memorandum submitted by the Heritage Lottery
Fund
1. THE ROLE
OF THE
HERITAGE LOTTERY
FUND AND
THE NATIONAL
HERITAGE MEMORIAL
FUND
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is the body that
distributes the share of funding raised from the National Lottery
to heritage projects. The Fund opened for business in January
1995 and since then has given around £3 billion in 15,000
awards to heritage projects. The aims of the Fund are:
— to conserve and enhance the UK's
diverse heritage;
— to encourage more people to be involved
in and make decisions about their heritage; and
— to ensure that everyone can learn
about, have access to, and enjoy their heritage.
A further aim is to bring about a more equitable
spread of our grants across the UK. The parent body for HLF is
the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), which was set up by
the National Heritage Act, 1980 with wide powers to fund heritage
throughout the UK in memory of people who have given their lives
for the UK. The NHMF still operates as a separate fund. It administers
the Heritage Lottery Fund.
HLF currently distributes 16.66% of the money
for good causes. At first, HLF concentrated on capital works,
conservation and acquisitions. The National Heritage Act 1997
formally extended its remit in 1997 to encompass activities such
as improving access, learning opportunities, skills and helping
people enjoy heritage.
In 1998, the Secretary of State for Culture,
Media and Sport issued revised policy directions to the Trustees
setting out the matters they should take into consideration when
deciding on grants. These still apply. These require the Fund
to consider carefully how to use grants to meet the needs of the
national heritage, to promote access for people from all sections
of society, to promote knowledge of and interest in the heritage
by children and young people, to achieve sustainable development
and to reduce economic and social deprivation. Projects also need
to be time-limited, financially viable and deliver an element
of partnership funding and working with other organisations. HLF
submitted evidence to the previous Culture, Media and Sport Select
Committee that inquired into the preservation of HMS Cavalier.
2. FUNDING FOR
HISTORIC VESSELS
AND MARITIME
HERITAGE
2.1 Awards to historic vessels
Since 1994, HLF has awarded £38.6 million
to 68 projects relating to 44 individual vessels, including maritime
vessels and excluding those relating to inland waterways. Our
awards range from the conservation of the remains of the Mary
Rose and the Dover Boat, to working vessels such as the Waverley
Paddle Steamer. We have funded larger vessels such as SS Great
Britain as well as smaller vessels of local interest such as the
MV Wincham or the Portwey lifeboat. That funding has covered a
range of activities, including the conservation and refitting
of vessels, interpretation, the acquisition of objects and the
refurbishment of facilities. HLF has also contributed towards
the planning costs of projects. NHMF has contributed an additional
£1.5 million to five vessels.
As an example of a larger project, HMS Trincomalee
is the oldest ship afloat in the UK and the last surviving example
of a classic Royal Navy frigate. HLF has supported the restoration
and interpretation of the ship in Hartlepool where the South Docks
are being transformed into a major visitor destination and commercial
area. The project is an example of a conserved vessel leading
a regeneration scheme and has won a number of awards.
Under Awards for All, the small grant scheme
run jointly with other distributors, there have been 21 projects
in England, seven in Scotland and two in Wales which include works
to historic boats or their infrastructure.
2.2 Maritime heritage
Many of these awards also include funding for
related maritime heritage such as facilities on the dockside.
In addition we have funded a wide range of maritime heritage projects,
including maritime museums and collections, and built heritage
including piers, docks, harbours and other historic maritime features.
For example, Chatham Dockyard has received 18
awards totalling £12.8 million which include funding to vessels
and to associated infrastructure. After its closure a Trust was
established to preserve Europe's most complete example of an 18th
century dockyard. A museum was opened in April 2001 and HMS Gannet
(1878), HMS Ocelot (1962) and HMS Cavalier (1944) have been brought
together in an accessible environment that will ensure their long
term future. The project has benefited the vessels but has also
brought wider regeneration benefits. The dockyard is helping to
support the wider leisure and retail economy. Research by the
Southern Tourist board concluded that the dockyard is worth £20
million per annum to the local economy.
In Scotland, the repair and refurbishment of
the former premises of the fishing boat builders Smith and Hutton
has enabled the Scottish Fisheries Museum to provide covered accommodation
for the conservation, display and maintenance of the museum's
collection of historic fishing boats, including the "Zulu"
fishing vessel also supported by HLF. Visitors can also see conservation
work being carried out by volunteers and museum staff.
3. ISSUES RELATING
TO THE
FUNDING OF
SHIPS AND
MARITIME HERITAGE
3.1 Availability of funding
The earlier Culture, Media and Sport Select
Committee inquiry noted that the Government has effectively placed
the onus for funding ships on HLF. We have given considerable
support to maritime heritage and remain fully committed to it
as part of our broad range of projects. However, with some exceptions,
the Fund does not allocate fixed sums to specific categories of
heritage and we do not envisage a discrete funding stream for
historic vessels. Applications for HLF funds exceed the sums available
and therefore difficult choices have to be made. This situation
may become more acute as a result of Clause 8 of the National
Lottery Bill currently before Parliament and if London succeeds
in winning the bid to host the Olympics in 2012 (and the subsequent
Olympic lottery draws money away from existing good causes, as
predicted). In the longer term, the HLF share of Lottery funding
is only guaranteed until 2009. If it were to be reduced in the
future, competition would inevitably increase.
3.2 The needs of ships and maritime heritage
HLF cannot fund all the needs of historic vessels
or of maritime heritage. The National Register of Historic Vessels
(NRHV) identifies over 1,500 larger vessels, of which 58 are in
the Core Collection of pre-eminent national importance and 155
are designated as being of greater regional or local significance.
The NHSC has told us that 20 of the 58 vessels in the Core Collection
are at risk, eight seriously so. Twelve of the vessels we have
funded are in the Core Collection and a further seven in the Designated
list. Other awards have been to smaller vessels that do not qualify
for inclusion on the register or to projects which demonstrate
wide public benefits. Inclusion in the register provides a valuable
peer-reviewed indication of the heritage merit of a vessel, but
is only one of the criteria HLF takes into account in making a
decision.
The Transport Trust has assessed the needs of
smaller vessels not covered by the NHSC register such as canal
and inland waterways commercial craft, lifeboats, classic motor
boats, fishing and military boats, as well as museum collections.
They estimated that there are around 11,000 such vessels of which
500 may be of considerable historic interest. The majority of
conservation is voluntary and led by individuals, although museums
do play a role. The Trust identified a need for support for private
individuals, training in traditional skills, a focus of activity
around boatyards, and safe storage for boats at risk pending restoration.
Whilst some of these aspirations could be delivered
through HLF projects, the Fund gives priority to not-for-profit
organisations. It is also only able to offer time-limited funding.
3.3 Conservation costs
One of the most difficult issues for HLF has
been the relatively high cost of conserving some historic vessels.
Such work also poses technical challenges. Waterlogged wood, once
removed from anaerobic conditions which originally preserved it,
can be costly to preserve and maintain indefinitely. Vessels preserved
in dry dock, such as the SS Great Britain and the Cutty Sark are
in effect historic buildings, facing very different conditions
than those for which they were designed. The long term implications
of many conservation techniques are unproven, and it can be difficult
to justify such costs in a competitive funding environment.
3.4 Maritime heritage and regeneration
Our experience has shown that conserved vessels,
such as RRS Discovery, HMS Trincomalee and SS Great Britain can
play an important role in regeneration. The presence of a conserved
historic vessel can add character and distinctiveness to a waterfront
and successful projects can generate jobs and attract new investment.
We would hope that Regional Development Agencies and planning
authorities would recognise, support and plan for maritime heritage
as part of regeneration strategies. The benefits created by regeneration
may be one way of off-setting the high cost of preserving vessels.
3.5 Sustainability
We ask all applicants to demonstrate that their
projects will be financially viable in the long term. The costs
of operating a historic vessel may be difficult to recoup through
admissions charges or paying passengers. Our grants are generally
time limited and it is difficult for us to support a long-term
revenue deficit.
In addition, many larger preserved vessels require
associated dockside facilities such as toilets and interpretation
space, if they are to operate as visitor attractions. The long
term preservation of a larger vessel thus often raises important
planning issues.
3.6 National Historic Ships Unit
In our response to the recent government consultation,
Ships for the Nation, we welcomed the creation of a new unit and
look forward to working closely with it. However, we also said
that we must continue to consider each project on its merits against
our published priorities and available resources. It is not possible
for us to pre-determine a number of vessels from the register
as suitable for grant.
4. CONCLUSIONS
Applications to preserve historic vessels can
be challenging. Conservation costs may be high, techniques unproven
and long term financial sustainability difficult to establish.
There may be a lack of shoreside facilities to provide education
and access. At the same time, vessels have the potential to make
an important contribution to regeneration and to public enjoyment
of heritage.
HLF has a strong track record of funding for
maritime heritage but we cannot meet all of the needs of the sector.
We would look to the new unit to demonstrate policy leadership,
particularly in helping to build capacity in the sector, to help
identify priorities and to seek new partnerships in preserving
and sustaining maritime heritage for the future.
27 January 2005
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