I cant find this elsewhere on the forum so just in case it was missed here we are...
Chris will always have these stories on the frontpage of Dover.UK.com
Press Release Dover District Council...
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Dover District Council has secured £100,000 in consultancy and professional advice from the Government's 'Delivering Differently Challenge' to explore options for transforming the delivery of its museum and tourism service.
As part of the project, consultants will work with the Council to see how its heritage assets, and those of business and community partners, could be better managed to unlock their potential to contribute to economic growth and regeneration.
Dover is one of only ten local authorities to have made a successful application to the scheme, run jointly by the Cabinet Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, Local Government Association (LGA), and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE).
The project will explore options for the creation of a heritage co-operative, mutual, or trust, to bring together heritage assets managed by a range of local authority, business and community partners. By creating a new delivery model, this heritage will be in better condition and better managed. Benefits of the new structure could include greater public access to heritage, more opportunities for joint promotional activities between heritage attractions, and increased access to external funding.
Dover District Council is the first local authority in the country to have developed a Heritage Strategy in line with the National Planning Policy Framework.
Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of Dover District Council, said: "We are delighted to be one of the ten successful projects selected for the 'Delivering Differently Challenge'. Dover boasts some of the country's most important heritage assets. This project will explore how we can unlock their full potential to contribute to economic growth and regeneration, whilst also providing a more sustainable future for these assets."
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Laura Sandys Press Release:
Sandys Welcomes Dover District Council's Pioneering Heritage Approach
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Calls on Thanet District Council to Follow Suit
Laura Sandys welcomed the news that Dover District Council has successfully secured £100,000 of Government support for its museum and tourism service and praised its innovative heritage approach, calling on neighbouring Thanet District Council to follow suit. Dover District Council is one of only ten local authorities to have been successful in the 'Delivering Differently Challenge' as it seeks to transform the delivery of its tourism service to get maximum value for money, enhance currently untapped sites and promote the district as one of the UK's tourist hotspots
Laura said "I am thrilled that Dover District Council is leading the way nationally in ensuring that the area's historical assets are well preserved, managed and advertised. It is already the first local authority in the country to have developed a Heritage Strategy and this news cements its leadership in an area which has a hugely important part to play both in terms of regeneration and economic growth.
"I very much hope that Thanet will be swift to follow Dover in valuing its historical assets, particularly as I have been urging the Council to put in place a heritage strategy for a very long time now indeed. As a first step, we absolutely must ensure that our valuable historical assets are preserved for future generations. Unfortunately as we've seen through the course of my campaign for conservation areas in Cliftonville, even this is not yet a given! Better management, greater access and increased promotion of Thanet's historical assets will undoubtedly bring in more revenue -and in turn investment- for the local area. It's a no brainer!"
For more information on Dover's success in the 'Delivering Differently Challenge', please visit:
www.gov.uk/government/news/delivering-differently-fund-supports-public-service-innovation
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