Laura Sandys welcomed the news that Dover District Council has successfully secured £100,000 of Government support for its museum and tourism service and praised its innovative heritage approach, calling on neighbouring Thanet District Council to follow suit. Dover District Council is one of only ten local authorities to have been successful in the ‘Delivering Differently Challenge’ as it seeks to transform the delivery of its tourism service to get maximum value for money, enhance currently untapped sites and promote the district as one of the UK’s tourist hotspots.
Laura said “I am thrilled that Dover District Council is leading the way nationally in ensuring that the area’s historical assets are well preserved, managed and advertised. It is already the first local authority in the country to have developed a Heritage Strategy and this news cements its leadership in an area which has a hugely important part to play both in terms of regeneration and economic growth.
“I very much hope that Thanet will be swift to follow Dover in valuing its historical assets, particularly as I have been urging the Council to put in place a heritage strategy for a very long time now indeed. As a first step, we absolutely must ensure that our valuable historical assets are preserved for future generations. Unfortunately as we’ve seen through the course of my campaign for conservation areas in Cliftonville, even this is not yet a given! Better management, greater access and increased promotion of Thanet’s historical assets will undoubtedly bring in more revenue - and in turn investment - for the local area. It’s a no brainer!”
For more information on Dover’s success in the ‘Delivering Differently Challenge’, please visit: www.gov.uk/government/news/delivering-differently-fund-supports-public-service-innovation