In Portland’s Soft Power Index for 2018, the UK rose above France to become the highest ranked country for Soft Power. The report, however, warned against the uncertainty of Brexit, stating that ‘a positive and inclusive narrative’ is needed ‘to take to the rest of the world’, …

The British Council’s £30m Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with DCMS, is set up to protect cultural heritage at risk in 12 conflict-affected countries: Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan. Due to unprecedented demand, much of the …

DCMS has released estimates for employment in related sectors in 2017. Of the 5.4 million jobs in DCMS sectors, the Creative Industries, was the largest sector and had seen the largest increase in jobs since 2011 (28.6% increase), but the Cultural Sector, which includes Heritage, …

Matt Hancock, the new Health and Social Care Secretary, took to twitter to promote ‘access to evidence-based treatments that have been shown to both improve people’s physical and mental well-being’, linking to an article promoting social prescribing to arts and gardening clubs. His tweet can …

The Government has published its Second National Adaption Programme, 2018-23, which sets out the risks posed by climate change, as well as its strategy for dealing with these challenges. The report acknowledges that heritage assets will be negatively affected by climate change, whether by floods, …

The Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Bill, which effectively commits the UK to a separate VAT scheme from the EU, last week cleared the House of Commons. It is one of a series of Brexit Bills proposed by the Government. A new system, independent of the …

The £20m DCMS Cultural Development Fund has been launched. Guidance is now available and the window for Expressions of Interest closes on 15 August 2018. The Fund marks a new approach for government investment in culture and creative industries. Rather than investment going to a …

Church Tourism Week, an annual celebration of heritage and historic churches, takes place nationwide this week, between 20th and 29th July. The programme, co-ordinated by The Churches Conservation Trust, in partnership with other heritage bodies, highlights the UK’s exceptional ecclesiastical heritage. The events and activities …

This fortnight, numerous bodies published their annual reports and accounts for the past year. DCMS’s annual report and accounts can be viewed here. The report includes a commitment to ‘implement the actions set out in the ‘Heritage Statement 2017’ to maximise the benefits and impact of …

ACEVO and Institute of Fundraising (IoF) have published a report on racial diversity in the heritage sector. The report highlights that the voluntary sector is failing to accurately reflect ethnic diversities in its employees. ACEVO’s Pay and Equalities survey 2018, for example, found that only 3% …

The Government has released this year’s statistics for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for domestic and non-domestic properties covering England and Wales, and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for buildings occupied by public authorities in England and Wales. The report showed that, in the year ending June …

An amendment to the Rating and Council Tax Bill in the House of Lords has increased the powers of local councils to tackle empty homes. Originally, the legislation allowed councils to double the rate of taxation on properties that have been empty for 2 years …