BEFS’s Bulletin has published an update from Scotland on its ‘Our Place in Time (OPiT)’ CEO Forum.
BEFS writes:
The Our Place in Time (OPiT) CEO Forum met on Thursday 2nd April to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Scotland’s heritage sector. The (virtual) meeting was chaired by Alex Paterson, Historic Environment Scotland (HES), with representation from BEFS, COSLA, Museums Galleries Scotland, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Volunteer Scotland. The Heritage Trust Network Scotland also fed in additional information. The key issues arising were:
- Organisational viability – cash flow and income concerns
- Retaining / preserving key assets, skills and capacity for the future
- Aligning funding sources and initiatives, both existing and new
- The eligibility / flexibility of some UKG initiatives to the sector, in particular the Job Retention Scheme and the Business Interruption Loan Scheme
- Membership – how do we engage and retain members during this time?
- Research and Intelligence – importance of sharing any research and intelligence, looking to where value can be added and not duplicating efforts
- Construction site working – clearer guidance required
- Recovery Phase – opportunity to accelerate the green new deal?
- Horizon Scanning – what might the future look like for the sector
Keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 advice and guidance for the heritage sector with our overview of useful websites.
It is worth noting that Historic Environment Scotland have updated their Grants Coronavirus Guidance page.
