Heritage cash crisis – ‘It’s their problem’
Thursday 2nd July 2009, 2:57PM BST.
A winter fête at Hamptonne
THE Chief Minister has insisted that he values heritage and culture – but has left States Members with no doubt that Jersey Heritage’s funding crisis is not his problem.
Senator Terry Le Sueur was speaking in the States during an emergency extension to question time called to discuss Jersey Heritage’s financial problems. The subject – and the risk that the Maritime Museum and Hamptonne will close next month with the loss of several jobs – was raised by Deputy Daniel Wimberley.
He asked what the Council of Ministers was going to do to save the sites and to support Jersey Heritage both in the immediate term and by providing a longer term sustainable funding deal.
In response to questions from across the House, the Chief Minister repeatedly insisted that Heritage already received a sizeable States grant of around £2 million a year and had been given £200,000 in emergency funding earlier this year.
He said that culture funding was the responsibility of the Education Minister and said that it was not the States’ responsibility to interfere in the running of a private company.
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T.L.S. comes out with some crass statements. Heritage sites in Jersey are what attract manay holiday makers to the Island. If the States give the private companies substantial amounts of money, surely it is his duty to ensure it isn’t wasted and that these venues continue to attract holiday makers to the Island….what was it someone said about good buisness? “You have to speculate to accumulate.” T.L.S. good leadership is your problem – you don’t lead by example.
After an absence of eight years, I will be visiting the Island where I was raised and I want to see the Maritime Museum and Hamptonne so please T.L.S. do something right for once and keep these attractions going….even if the States take back control from the ‘private company’ (Isn’t it a States owned company?)
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As one of those who stood on an election platform of no GST deputy Wimberley seems very eager to either spend or just waste tax payer’s money. The good deputy may represent the electors of St Mary in their belief in the magic money tree but at some point somebody needs to explain to them the reality of the current financial crises and its effect on the rest of the Island.
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I am sure if a financial institution required the money they would have no problem in finding the cash.
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What would you rather bail out – a bank or your heritage? Surely they are suffering like everything else in the current climate, and are a vital part of our tourism infrastructure (while also providing pleasure to graet number of local people).
If it really is an emergency then it’s worth stepping in, though it’s hard to get hold of the facts.
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What a disgraceful attitude by the Chief Minister! Has he no pride in our island’s traditions and heritage – clearly not.
A society where everything seems to be being reduced to issues of money and economics and the values, customs and lessons of the past are becoming increasingly overlooked is what we seem to be heading for.
So much the worse for us all!
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On a general note I would also like to see a review of the arts and cultural funding in Jersey, or at least some clarification of how this works. At first sight it seems a little out of date and at times short sighted.
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all the cash has gone on the incinerator. better take the heritage attractions off the jersey tourism website then. top marks terry.
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They have been given a budget of £2 million and then an additional £200k additional funding. It is not a case of our Chief Minister saying tough as seemingly portrayed – it is that the management of our heritage quango have like so many other States run or sponsored bodies been financially irresponsible and have failed budget. To say that failing to provide unlimited amounts of tax payer’s money is in some anti heritage is wrong. Just look at the farce over the “duck” saga and the attitude of the heritage management. Sorry but I do cherish our heritage but do not agree with throwing away money supporting such incompetent bodies with high salaried management. Look at the work of the CI Occupation Society and the good work they have done with hardly any financial support.
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Finally common sense from the chief! Well said sir. Its time for them to complete a wholesale review. Laying off the waste not needed whether it be staff or services within.
No other business can operate any other way and why should it.
The closing of sites rather than thinking through is just to get the headline or shows people in charge aren’t capable of making sensible reductions
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It is interesting that during the “duck” saga the heritage management were portrayed as part of the “establishment” and that this was a further example of the incompetence of their greedy self serving appointees. This perception is now very easily brushed aside and forgotten now that evidence proves the former perception to be completely false and especially it seems, when this offers another opportunity to have a dig at our ministers. Perhaps this should be viewed by the more rational section of the population of evidence that Jersey is not run by some quasi secret oligarchy under the called “The Establishment”
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Doesn’t the states have an audit department?
Surely there are too many states departments or businesses which receive states grants who are wasting the money given to them!
These businesses need to be audited to account for their spending. This way we can see whether it is being pocketed by the hierarchy, wasted or if the beneficiary in fact needs more funding.
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I was wondering, Terry Le Sueur is old enought for a Heritage Gold Card, Does he have one? If so maybe he should give it back, and if not, that just shows his real intrest in his own heritage. This is just one service provided to locals.
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I can’t believe TLS’s decision here.
He personally may not be interested in saving Jersey’s Heritage but this Island has so little left now to offer the locals and visitors that our Heritage should be the one thing they bust a gut to save.
Perhaps this would be a perfect use for some of the £44m – save jobs and tourist attractions in one go. Money much better spent than some of the ridiculous ideas that they intend to spend it on.
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One can save Jersey’s Heritage without throwing good money after bad…..time for a complete re-evaluation of how this little empire has governed it’s peasants before they revolt…
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Anything to do with the arts or culture is always put aside to fend for itself, struggling to survive. Why?, because it doesn’t, cannot and never will make a profit. The States of Jersey are not interested in any of these things, simply because there is no monetary profit to be made. This is sad, so sad and it is very unintelligent thinking.
Our Heritage is priceless, it is the most important thing we have. If it wasn’t for our heritage, none of us would exist – it’s as simple as that. Isn’t that worth looking after?
The Chief MInister says they have already had a grant of £2 million and a ‘top up’ of £200,000 – but he doesn’t say that The States charged Jersey Heritage £85,000 rent for The Maritime Museum building does he!
How daft is that?!
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Despite its best efforts, it is unfortunate that Jersey Heritage seem unable to get the message into the public consciousness that it is an efficient and well-run organisation spread across 7 visitor attractions and 11 heritage letting properties.
For those of you who are questioning its financial management, you may be interested to know that JH brings in 42% of its income every year without the help of government. This compares to 11% in the Isle of Man (who receive an annual government subsidy of £5.2m, by the way), 22% in Guernsey, 28% by English Heritage and 24% by the British Museum and National Gallery.
And, before anyone comments that the above revenue generation is due to the “high price of entry”, it costs £7.00 to visit the Jersey Museum, it costs £8.00 to visit the British Museum or National Gallery’s current exhibitions, the House of Manannan in IOM costs £5.70, it costs £8.30 to visit EH’s Eltham Palace, it cost £7.90 to visit the NT’s Batemans. So, you’ll find, JH prices come out about average.
JH is not a States department or a quango or any of the other quasi-civil service names it has been called. Staff are not paid on civil service wage scales with civil service pensions waiting at the end nor does JH recruit in accordance with civil service policy, which I believe is something along the lines of “I’m a manager. I am paid by the number of staff I have below me. Good heavens, this department is snowed under, get me the JEP advertisements desk now!”. Then, there really would be cause for complaint.
You may, by now, have guessed that I work for JH and I am paid about 50% what I could earn in the finance industry or civil service in a similar role. I don’t have to work for JH, my skills are extremely transferrable, but I choose to work for them because I believe that Jersey benefits hugely from the work that JH are doing to preserve ways of island life that are dead, or dying, for generations to come.
If the above arguments have not convinced you of JH’s thriftiness, then add to your deliberations the hundreds and hundreds of hours given free by volunteers to help keep the visitor experience up to a national and award winning standard.
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Jersey Heritage left for dead in the water through lack of state funding.Airport shopping gets 1.4 million of taxpayers money. Who is going to be using the airport shops ? Tourists ? the hotels are being demolished for flats,its expensive to get here and now the historical attractions will be closed.Time to look at the bigger picture Chief Minister. No attractions, no hotels,no visitors,no one shopping at the airport.
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Financial Sense if that is the case then please explain what the £2.2 million was spent on (plus your other 42% income generation).
Surely your role as manager would be to look at cost cutting exercises to meet within your budget and also forecast any up or downturns in revenue?
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i disagree with tls.his comments to me mean he does not want the tourist to come to jersey.i love the island and its heritage.looking forward to coming over in 14wks.if i were tls i would think again and give money to support this cause.jersey is our family holiday every year,and its been that way for 21years.6wks every year.your history is something you should not forget.keep it safe for future generations do not close these sites.keep them open.you need to encourage the tourist to delve into jersey history.this cant be done if you close sites down
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Todays article sums up COM’s priorities – homeless people as an excuse to look after the building trade and people in debt. Looking after our heritage, tourists and the local community who benefit from these fantastic facilities not a priority.
Maybe they will start building tours to encourage tourists to the Island rather than cultural heritage tours that celebrate our green and pleasant land are obviously not what the politician see in their ivory towers.
the people that will be made unemployed from heritage will at least know that when they get into debt they have a CAB to go and talk to and when they are made homeless they have a 5* shelter – some small comfort when they have been contributing so much to the Island in real economic terms for tourists, locals and future generations – what are the priorities of our government – do they make sense to anyone?
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Q
These examples you use are one off funding amounts which won’t be repeated. Everyone must put aside that this is linked to tourism/history and think with their heads.
Heritage has been pressuring the States for years for funding except they are supposed to be a States independent Trust – i.e. nothing to do with the States unlike many examples given above (Airport being one). If the States give in to the request they’ll be back in the future asking for more. They need to survive on their own or concede and become part of the States.
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Joker
I am thinking with my head the services heritage provide benefit locals and tourists. Some of the sites form flagship venues for the Tourism to promote. If we are to promote our Island as a vibrant place to live, an international finance centre, an exciting short break destination, a cultural island to attract professionals and educate our next generation – because Jersey is “Life enriching” then I think that deserves £1M.
This is no about preserving the past. Schools use the sites, locals visit them and use them, visitors use them too. Ther will be alot more economic cost in terms of web sites being re-written, brochures scrapped and people’s jobs lost probably with skills and knowledge that can’t be replaced.
The states are planning to spend over £300K on a homeless shelter to keep builders in work? Are there not enough building sites on the Island? This project has taken a 1/3 of the money heritage are asking for.
Economically at least heritage contribute to the local economy both financially and culturally both directly and indirectly. Their indirect contribution is probably higher. Not a great sign for the Island to be closing heritage sites and would probably send the wrong message internationally.
I agree however they cannot keep coming back cap in hand but I am sure certain conditions could be attached or economic development could work with them to ensure that the business model is better managed.
One has to ask how many builders will be employed and how many homeless people are there in Jersey and weigh this up with over 20 jobs to be lost at heritage plus the loss to over 100K population and the visitors and Jersey’s perceived image on the international arena.
Therefore ‘thinking with my head’ if heritage got the money the amount per head of population not counting visitors would be £10 for the cost to benefit ratio. Based on 10 homeless and 20 builders I work out it will be £10,000 per person benefiting. Where is the logic in that 30 people benefit against the whole Island? What we stand to lose is alot more than what we gain.
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If taxpayers’ money were given to Heritage what would people suggest to protect it. Even I am well aware of the folly that has caused Heritage to waste money to a ridiculous degree so who is to say that taxpayers’ help would not be wasted?
Maybe the States should agree to give them the money only if Heritage replace their management and get in staff who have proven that they know how to run such a business.
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As a trustee of Jersey Heritage, a number of things strike me about the comments posted above. First, is the overwhelming support that there seems to be for the work that the Trust does and the contribution that it makes to so many aspects of Island life and personality.
Second, is the concern with the relationship between the purpose and work of the Trust and the tourism industry. Jersey Heritage does not operate tourist attractions. That’s not the reason for its existence. “The purpose of the JHT is to care for [Jersey's heritage], promote wide access to it, act as advocates onits behalf and bring imagination to telling its stories so that we inspire people to create a better Island for everyone.” It therefore exists for Islanders first and foremost. However, as the majority of Islanders who visit the Trust’s sites do not pay an admission fee, the Trust is very dependent on visitors to the Island to supplement the States grant in order to meet the costs of running the organisation. They come because they are aware of Jersey’s unique heritage, and they come to the Trust’s sites because the Trust tells the story of that heritage brilliantly. However, as everyone knows, they don’t come in the numbers that they did, and so the admission income has dropped significantly. That’s not a new story – we’ve been warning government of that for years. (Quote from Internal States Audit Report accepted by the ESC Committee in June 2005: “This operating deficit has been continually forecast and reported to the ESC Committee for a number of years and would have been much greater had the JHT not taken steps to cut costs of approx. £180,000 a year”.)
Third, is the assumption of financial mismanagement of the Trust. There is absolutely nothing to support that claim, and indeed I can say with absolute conviction that I have never served on any governing body, whether a board of paid directors or unpaid volunteers, where the range of skills has been so complimentary or the professionalism and focus of both trustees and management so well applied as at JHT. (That is certainly not to blow my own trumpet, but every one of them has a proven track record at the pinnacle of their own various professions. Do people really believe that it all suddenly went pear-shaped when they got to JHT!) If contributors bothered to investigate the true history of the Elizabeth Castle ferry, they would quickly find that an independent report by auditors confirmed that the acquisition of the service by the Trust was both appropriate and financially justified.
The lack of funding to replace that lost with the decrease of admission income will mean a loss of service, a loss of jobs, the irretrievable loss of amazing skills possessed by both paid staff and the huge number of volunteers, and a yet further loss of the uniqueness that JHT was formed to protect and preserve. What we should gain instead, is a considerable sense of shame that we allowed it to happen.
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Trustee
The States can bail out a UK retailer by paying redundancy to it’s staff and yet cannot support a very local and important project.
They lost several miilion pounds on an FX rate for the incinerator….how long would that have kept the wolves from the door at JHT?
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Hi,
I think the States should do all they can to help Jersey Heritage. The ‘FLASH’ cards that they give out free to local school age children are a godsend to many local parents struggling to find things to occupy the kids time during school holidays. My daughter and I enjoyed a great day at the Maritime Museum Pirates theme and all it cost me was £7 for myself to get in, which I don’t begrudge paying at all for a good few hours entertainment.
The next day I took my daughter to the Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the Museum and that too cost me £7 for another good, interesting and educational few hours which we both really enjoyed as well as my daughter learning, she had fun.
Would it not have been for Jersey Heritage I could easily have seen myself either dealing with a very bored ten year old, or spending obscene amounts of money at the Aquasplash (which is rubbish by the way)and the like (KFC afterwards?=v healthy!). In my day I was given a fiver and that saw me right all weekend up at the Fort (with a membership of course) But that is no more!
Is it any wonder kids are running haywire these days??! There’s only so many ‘free’ coastal walks and beaches you can take them on before they get really peeved!
WAKE UP TLS before it all comes back and bites you on the ass.
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Were Hamptonne and the Maritime Museum singled out because they are the least valuable or valued compared to cost, or because they are the most valuable and will therefore catch the headlines? No doubt we’ll hear about a funding crisis from the Battle of Flowers next, it’s that time of year. Why oh why can’t Those In Charge learn that you have a budget which must be kept to, and that’s that? If they can’t manage to their funding, someone else should. Just stop squealing.
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27 Mike
A bet the land is worth a fortune. No doubt developers have plans afoot already ….
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#24 Trustee,
Certainly from my point of view I can, when required, separate financial management from the running of the business. I use the phrase ‘money being wasted’ but I don’t mean that those making the financial decisions have done anything underhand or anything idiotic, just that they will handle one aspect of the business and rely on advice and experience from people in other aspects of the business.
It is just possible that such advice has been for something very financially viable but not necessarily for something that would be the best option in the long-term.
Alternatively there may be too many strictly business people involved and not enough people with creative minds. I would imagine there is a real need for creativity (tempered by financial management) when it comes to getting people through the door.
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Trustee
I am a supporter of heritage and I can understand your primary aim is to protect the Island’s heritage. However if that is your only arguement you are putting forward at this time when you need funding then I can understand why TLS and COM are rejecting calls for more cash.
If the States are to part with our our tax money then they will want to see a return on investment.
Heritage is so much more than just preserving. You need to but your business heads back on and understand that you have a strong case if you also appreciate the wider arguement.
1. Heritage does contribute to the Tourism industry and make it a more attractive place to visit.
2. Heritage does make Jersey different from other international finance centres and gives it a cultural aspect, a sense of history and a sense of stability.
3. Heritage does contribute to the education of the children on this Island and makes it a more interesting curriculum and affords benefits that other countries cannot compete with.
4. Heritage does make Jersey a better place for the NOW for locals and visitors alike and contributes to the Jersey’s international perception of an Island that is stable, cultural and invests in its future.
Also to take up your point that most Islanders vist the attractions for free. You can only do that if (a) you are a heritage pass holder which members pay for. (b) you are a child with a flash card which generously the Crosslands pay for.
Therefore you either need to look at higher membership costs or/and find other ways to generate money in the outlets that you have through merchandising and marketing. Look to Durrell for some inspiration.
I understand you need help but you are also going to have to work harder and think about the bigger picture. Your post has actually left me having some sympathy with TLS and COM and I can understand some of their concerns. You need to look at your business model and sell and market the package better.
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