Tracey Crouch MP, Minister for Sport Tourism and Heritage
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 Thank you very much for inviting me here to speak to you today.
 What a fantastic venue as well in which to come together to discuss and
debate the current issues within our sector. And to celebrate the huge
contribution of a large number of dedicated volunteers, recognised in
the Heritage Alliance Heroes Awards this afternoon.
 I live in a village where the majority of the buildings are listed and so I
understand the passion and care which people throughout the country
feel for our heritage. Since becoming Minister for Sport, Tourism and
Heritage earlier this year, I have been incredibly impressed by the level
of commitment from the thousands of people who volunteer in each of
these areas, and especially heritage.
 Unfortunately, I do need to leave before what promised to be a lively
Q&A and the fantastic Heroes Awards, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the
presentations and would like to congratulate all those who have won
awards.
 I would like to talk to you all about three things this afternoon:
o firstly, I would like to sum up the achievements of the sector during
the course of this year, which exemplify the type of work which will
make heritage more sustainable and resilient in future;
o secondly I would like to update you on the progress of culture White
Paper;
o finally, I would like to briefly mention the Spending Review, which
was of course announced last week.
All the good work done by the sector
o What a year 2015 has been (and of course it isn’t quite over yet) – it has
seen the beginning of what promises to be a strong and successful new
model for English Heritage, and the birth of Historic England; the 21st
birthday of Heritage Open Days; great strides made by the Churches
Conservation Trust, the Historic Houses Association and others to make
the best use of their heritage assets; and much more.
Heritage Counts
 I am pleased to be able to be here for Historic England’s official launch of
this year’s Heritage Counts which is on the excellent subject of caring for
the local historic environment.
 Heritage Counts research has found that the majority of listed building
owners feel privileged to own a historic building and are enthused about
conservation, which is very welcome news.
 Government will continue to work with Historic England, the Historic
Houses Association and others to provide the best support and advice
for owners.
 I know that the research and information set out in this year’s Heritage
Counts will be invaluable to the wider sector. And I would like to thank
Sir Laurie and Historic England for their continued excellent work to
champion the sector and for their expertise and advice, especially in this
year of change for the organisation.
Heritage at Risk
 I was also encouraged to hear, at the launch of this year’s Heritage At
Risk register in October, that there has been an overall reduction in the
number of entries on the register and that a third of entries which were
on the 2010 register have now been rescued.
 This excellent news should encourage owners, developers and other
interested parties to continue the search for innovative new uses for
historic buildings, which can contribute so much to our communities.
Heritage Crime
 As you know, heritage crime can have a hugely negative impact on
individual assets and on whole communities. However, the tougher
sentencing guidelines that were announced earlier this year, allow, for
the first time, for the theft of historic objects or the loss of heritage to be
taken into account in making the offence more serious.
 I join the sector in welcoming these guidelines as a further tool for
tackling heritage crime.
Participation
 Heritage participation has also remained strong this past year, with
nearly 75% of adults visiting a heritage site and rises in the proportion of
visitors coming from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups, as well as
in the number of disabled visitors and those from deprived groups.
 Heritage Open Days has managed to build on the massive success of its
20th year in 2014, with another fantastic year. More than 41,000
volunteers, and 3 million visitors attended nearly 5000 events over four
days in September 2015. I know they are already planning an ambitious
programme for 2016.
 This year there have also been some outstanding new innovative
schemes and projects which have really captured the public imagination.
For example, the sell-out “champing” scheme by the Churches
Conservation Trust, which will be re-launching next month, and which
captured the public imagination with its idyllic locations and activities.
 All this points to the huge public appetite for our national heritage. And
with heritage-based tourism valued at £26 billion to our economy, now
is the time for us to really develop this trend towards innovation.
 We must encourage and develop new ways of thinking, new ideas and
new business models which make the most of the appetite for public
engagement, and support, as well as making further inroads into areas
like philanthropy.
 Our heritage tells the world who we are and what we stand for. It
engages people around the world, presenting Britain as a country worth
knowing and visiting, supporting our global influence and soft power.
 The Government has developed the GREAT campaign, with heritage and
culture at the heart of our efforts to maximise our trade, business
opportunities and soft power. Our World Heritage Sites present the best
of our history and heritage. Britain is leading the way in ensuring that
our historic environment is both protected and made the most of.
 Which brings me on to the Culture White Paper – our vision for the
future.
White Paper
 Many of you will know that DCMS is working on the first Culture White
Paper in 50 years. Led by Ed Vaizey, this paper will set out Government’s
and plans for the next five years and also its long-term ambitions for
culture.
 It will cover all the cultural sectors and will highlight their huge
importance for a wide range of other agendas, such as education,
health, tourism and economic development.
 Heritage is of course, especially relevant to the theme of place, as it can
play a key part in creating places which people want to visit, work in and
make their lives in. How can our heritage sector develop its contribution
to vibrant communities, and how can we in Government support this?
 Equally important is the new generation of ideas around building
financial resilience in cultural organisations and institutions through new
funding models. This is vital if they are to survive and prosper.
 Although recent times have been difficult for many in the cultural
sectors, this is also an opportunity to refocus and to refine our business
models and create a stronger, more resilient sector.
 Encouraging further work around philanthropy, something which I know
Loyd and the Heritage Alliance are already keen to do, will also be an
important part of this, as it is an area where I believe the sector has the
ability to develop much further.
 The White Paper will be informed by the Spending Review and the
projects which come out of this. We expect to publish it in the early part
of 2016.
 This is an excellent opportunity to have your say on each of the four
main themes: places, people, funding and cultural diplomacy.
 Ed and I recently hosted a series of roundtable events across the
country, and have heard many exciting ideas and insights. We would still
like to hear from others as well, so if you have not done so already, I
strongly encourage you to engage quickly now with the White Paper.
Either through the #OurCulture Discussion Programme online, or by
writing to the Department.
Spending Review
 Finally, I would like to offer a brief update on the Spending Review.As
you may know, the Department for Culture Media and Sport has
received an extremely good settlement within what has been a difficult
Spending Review.
 The Secretary of State put forward an extremely compelling case for the
department going into the Spending Review and I believe that the strong
arguments which we as a department made were crucial to successfully
defending our sectors.
 Government is committed to the success of the English Heritage new
Model, and I am pleased to say that the Historic England settlement
affords a degree of protection to the English Heritage new model.
 The settlement also enables us to maintain our support for ecclesiastical
heritage - in particular to the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair
scheme.
 More detail on the settlement we and our arms’ length bodies have
received will be available in the coming days and weeks. It will allow
DCMS to focus on our core work of promoting culture, heritage and
sport and helping to deliver government priorities.
 Through the White Paper, and our ongoing work with our ALBs and
other organisations across the culture brief, DCMS will support our
sectors as they develop innovative new models and ways of working to
build a sustainable future.
Conclusion
 Once again, thank you for inviting me to speak to you this afternoon. It
has been great to find out more about some of the projects and research
being developed across the country.
 I love working with the heritage sector and I feel very confident about
the future. I am also extremely grateful to you all for the care you take
over your own particular “patch” of this country’s remarkable heritage.
Thank you.