The latest reports of Heritage Counts, produced by Historic England on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum, have been published. The new reports are summarized below along with a fact from each topic.
- Heritage and Economy 2020: The Heritage Sector is an important economic sector. Pre-COVID-19 figures show a total GVA* of £36.6bn and 563,509 jobs (2019). However, heritage sector businesses have suffered significant losses of income in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Government responded to this need with the Culture Recovery Fund.
- Heritage Indicators 2020: The 2020 saw increased funding and support for heritage as a response to the challenges caused by the pandemic. The total number of nationally designated heritage assets has grown in 2020. Listed Buildings has experienced the greatest increase (+339), and the largest regional increase in this category has been in the East Midlands (+69). The number of entries on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register continued to decline in 2020.
- Historic Environment Overview 2020: The overview summarises the state of the historic environment sector in England and the policy changes during the year. It showcases the successes of the Historic Environment Forum and some if our members (Historic England, NLHF, the Heritage Alliance, Architectural Heritage Fund, CIfA, ICON, National Trust).
