Jersey Heritage report

31 March 2010

The Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Deputy James Reed, has today published a review of the operational performance of the Jersey Heritage. The report, prepared by Locum Consulting, was commissioned by the Economic Development Department in response to concerns raised by the organisation in 2009 over lack of funding.

Deputy Reed said “At my invitation, the Comptroller and Auditor General published a review of the financial position of the Jersey Heritage in October 2009. The Locum review was then commissioned to help the Trust explore ways to sustain its business. It examines the market potential for raising new income and makes recommendations about future funding needs.”

The Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, commented: “We chose Locum Consulting because of its experience of working with similar organisations in other jurisdictions. Throughout the review we have worked closely with Education, Sport and Culture and the Heritage Trust and we believe the conclusions of the report accurately reflect the circumstances of the JHT”

The financial circumstances of Jersey Heritage have been a cause for concern in recent months. In January 2009 the Department for Education, Sport and Culture provided an additional £200,000 to support the business. A further £880,000 was provided at the end of 2009. These steps formed part of a package of measures, recommended by the C&AG, to help put the Trust’s financial affairs back on a firm footing and to secure the Island’s heritage for the future.

Those recommendations included improving governance measures and ensuring greater clarity about the level of heritage activity which the States wish to support. As a result, a third report into governance arrangements has been undertaken by independent auditors BDO Alto and is due to be published soon.

Deputy Reed added “It is now important that we work towards securing a solid future for the Jersey Heritage and ensure that key heritage sites are protected. The Locum Report makes it clear that Jersey Heritage is performing well in attracting visitors from a limited market and that any additional income it might secure will not be enough to meet the operating deficit.”

The Minister confirmed that his department, together with the Jersey Heritage and the Treasury, have been considering the implications of this report. Deputy Reed has committed to help the Trust deal with the issues raised and indicated that, in the near future, he intends to bring a proposition to the States which will set out options for protecting the long term future of Jersey Heritage.

Download the Jersey Heritage report (size 1mb)