Dover District Council secures £100k consultancy advice to unlock heritage potential

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."