Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers - annual report to LGA Board 2024

• Lead Officer: Ian Leete
• Email: [email protected]
• Address: Cambridgeshire County Council, SAC1301 Sackville House, Sackville Way, Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, CB23 6HL
• Telephone: 07717 426713
• Website: Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers

• Bedford Borough Council
• Birmingham City Council
• Boston Borough Council
• Buckinghamshire Council
• Cambridgeshire County Council
• Central Bedfordshire
• Cheshire (Cheshire West and Chester/Cheshire East)
• Chichester District Council
• City of Coventry
• City of London
• City of York Council
• Colchester Borough Council
• Cornwall Council
• Cumbria County Council
• Dartmoor National Park
• Derbyshire County Council
• Devon County Council
• Dorset Council
• Dudley M.B.C.
• Durham County Council
• East Berkshire (Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham unitary authorities)
• East Sussex County Council
• Essex County Council
• Exeter City Council
• Exmoor National Park
• Gloucester City
• Gloucestershire County Council
• Greater London Archaeological Advisory Service (all London boroughs except Southwark)
• Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (all Manchester boroughs)
• Hampshire County Council
• Hartlepool Borough Council (Tees Archaeology)
• Herefordshire Council
• Hertfordshire County Council
• Humber Archaeology Partnership (Kingston upon Hull and East Riding councils)
• Isle of Wight Council
• Kent County Council
• Lake District National Park Authority
• Lancashire County Council
• Leicester City
• Leicestershire County Council
• Lincolnshire County Council
• Milton Keynes Council
• New Forest National Park
• Newcastle City Council and Tyne & Wear
• Norfolk County Council
• North Kesteven District Council
• North Lincolnshire Council
• North Somerset Council
• North York Moors National Park
• North Yorkshire Council
• North Northamptonshire County Council
• Northumberland County Council
• Northumberland National Park
• Nottingham City Council
• Nottinghamshire County Council
• Oxford City Council
• Oxfordshire County Council
• Peak District National Park
• Peterborough City Council
• Plymouth City Council
• Shropshire Council
• South Gloucestershire Council
• South Kesteven District Council
• South West Heritage Trust
• South Yorkshire Archaeology Service
• Southampton City Council
• Southend Borough Council
• Southwark Council
• Staffordshire County Council
• Stoke on Trent City Council
• Suffolk County Council
• Surrey County Council
• Tees Archaeology (Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees)
• Warwickshire County Council
• West Berkshire Council
• West Northamptonshire Council
• West Sussex County Council
• West Yorkshire Archaeology Service
• Wiltshire Council
• Winchester City Council
• Wolverhampton City Council
• Worcester City Council
• Worcestershire County Council
• Yorkshire Dales National Park

ALGAO has four key objectives:

1. To provide a strong voice for local authority historic environment services and promote these within local government to strengthen and develop their role within local government in delivering local, regional and national government policy.
2. To ensure that local government historic environment services are included within policy (national, regional and local) for culture and education.
3. To ensure that policy aims to improve the sustainable management of the historic environment.
4. To promote development of high standards in the historic environment profession

Does your SIG contribute to the any of the themes and priorities in the LGA business plan? 

‘Championing Climate Change & Local Environments’: ALGAO represents the historic environment and integrates these assets into the wider environmental agenda. We are also a key part of planning and local plans.

‘Improving Local Govt’: ALGAO supports officers and members, providing training and guidance on historic environment matters. We also work with other sector agencies on broader skills issues. This will become more important with the introduction of statutory Historic Environment Records, where we are working with DLUHC, Historic England and others on how this is implemented and funded.

Our report on ‘Archaeology in Development Management’ emphasised the financial and operational benefits to local authorities and developers of an effective historic environment service, and we are updating that report

England Exec has met four times during the year. Meetings have continued to be held online due to maximise attendance and reduce travel and meeting expenses.

The committee receives regular update reports from the HER, Planning and Leg, and Countryside committees.

The Executive continues to maintain an overview of service provision and potential threats to historic environment services across the country. The work has often been in collaboration with other sector bodies, mostly with CIfA and the CBA.

We have commissioned an update to our 2019 ‘Archaeology in Development Management’ report.

Exec has continued to discuss the increasing pressures on LAAs due to the lack of capacity and recruitment. A number of actions has been identified previously for further discussion such as gathering information about charge out rates, identifying existing frameworks for training, and learning more about new techniques and how these can be applied.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities – Levelling Up & Regeneration Act: Exec continued to monitor the progress of the Bill through the House of Lords and the Commons. Warwickshire CC is closely involved with the development of statutory Historic Environment Records arising from the Act.

Permitted development rights – response to the consultation was submitted via Planning and Leg committee

Heritage Alliance Spatial Planning Advocacy Group: Kent CC attends this group on behalf of ALGAO England. It has been useful avenue for information/influence on Government plans and for shared information. Cambridgeshire CC attends the Rural Heritage Advocacy Group of the same organisation 

Historic England – high-level liaison meetings with Historic England have not taken place this year. Exec is keen to re-establish these moving forward.

21CAP Training and Skills project – Exec is considering a project proposal for ALGAO to lead on the survey related to training needs, which would also incorporate recruitment, person specifications, CPD, informal networking/mentoring etc.

ALGAO is represented on the Historic England ‘Future of Archaeological Archives’ panel

Historic Environment Forum: ALGAO-E is on circulation list. It provides us with the opportunity to have input into suggestions for items for the Heritage Council to discuss – attended by junior ministers and senior civil servants. Minutes of the meetings are shared with all Exec members.

ADEPT – ALGAO continues to sit on the ‘Natural Capital and Heritage’ working group, which reports to the wider Environment Board at ADEPT and allows us to integrate the historic and natural environment

Portable Antiquities Scheme Steering Group: These have focused on the APPAG inquiry on archaeology and metal detecting, and revisions on the advice for finders leaflet with updated based on treasure.