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Heritage Lottery Fund announces new grants amid surprise warnings on future

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 27 Jul 2010

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has defended its role as “essential” amid warnings from Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt that the funder’s future is under review.

Hunt yesterday put a number of 'arms’-length bodies', including the HLF, English Heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund, on notice that they could be up for merger, abolition or reform. The warning on heritage accompanied other controversial announcements that the UK Film Council will be abolished, with the film industry complaining this has been done with no consultation.

Hunt said yesterday: “We are looking closely at our responsibility for heritage and the built environment and so are currently considering the role and remit of English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.”

A spokeswoman for the HLF said that the news had come as a surprise. “Our chief executive knew on Friday, but prior to that [tourism and heritage minister] John Penrose had indicated that he had no plans for us,” she said.

The warning also follows Penrose revealing to parliament last week that the amount of lottery funding to heritage, which is distributed by HLF, will increase by around £50m by 2013/2014.

HLF chief executive Carole Souter pledged to co-operate with the department, and a spokeswoman for the organisation said that HLF would engage with the DCMS as part of regular ongoing liaison.

“We understand that every government department is reviewing the roles of arm’s-length bodies and we will work with DCMS, and any other bodies involved, to ensure the very best outcome for heritage while continuing to keep costs down,” said Souter.

She also defended the role of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, arguing that it has a “distinctive UK-wide role”.

“It acts as ‘fund of last resort’ moving quickly in emergencies to save important heritage when other fundraising has been exhausted,” she said. “There is keen demand for its funding and we believe its role is crucial.”

£10.5m worth of grants

By coincidence, HLF demonstrated its role today in announcing £10.5m worth of grants to four historic sites in England, Wales and Scotland. The largest of the grants, at £4.8m, went to the restoration of the home of writer Sir Walter Scott in Abbotsford (pictured). Other grant recipients were the Newbridge Memorial Hall in Caerphilly, a Tudor home in Devon and the historical garden of Wrest Park in Bedfordshire.

Souter said: “What's exciting about these four projects is not just that they are all in wonderful places of historic importance, but that they will make a significant contribution to their local economies and to the quality of life of their local communities."