The chief govt of English Heritage, the British conservation charity, has stepped down from his function having solely joined firstly of 2024.
English Heritage stated in a press release that Nick Merriman resigned for private causes linked to household well being. Geoff Parkin will now step into the function on an interim foundation.
Merriman’s reign was not with out rigidity; he oversaw a restructuring of the charity and proposed chopping its workforce of two,535 staff by 7 % (189 jobs). The charity stated it will goal to keep away from redundancies whereas sustaining a workforce of greater than 75 curators, historians, and conservators. He additionally deliberate to slash opening hours throughout its 400 websites by 10 % as a part of the overhaul. It was agreed that 21 websites would shut over winter, together with castles and abbeys.
The group had reportedly begun to seek the advice of with workers and its unions on the proposals as a part of a proper session interval which was not concluded earlier than Merriman’s departure.
The Guardian reported that some workers have been “angered by value chopping beneath [Merriman’s] watch.”
Gerard Lemos, the chair of English Heritage’s trustees, stated in an official assertion to workers: “I’m sorry to say that Nick has requested to step down from his function as chief govt for private causes regarding household well being. The Board has agreed to his request, which can happen with speedy impact. The Board want to thank Nick for all the things he has performed.”
In a press release the charity despatched out in January, it stated “excessive inflation has elevated the price of conservation work at our websites, however vital and ongoing expenditure continues to be required if the situation of the websites in our care is to not deteriorate.” The websites managed by English Heritage embrace Stone Henge, Hadrian’s Wall, and Dover Citadel.
The charity grew to become self-financed two years in the past and stated it not receives common funding from the UK authorities’s Division of Tradition, Media, and Sport (DCMS) to protect the Nationwide Heritage Assortment of state-owned historic monuments and websites.
Its annual 2023–24 evaluation confirmed that the charity is working at a loss, with its revenue totaling £141.4 million ($191 million), in opposition to £155.5 million ($213 million) in expenditure.
“Like many organisations, we’re working in a difficult setting and the goal of those proposals is to make sure that English Heritage is financially resilient and might fulfil our charitable functions,” English Heritage stated in a press release.
