Huw Lewis, the Welsh minister for housing, regeneration and heritage, hopes Wales will have its first heritage act in place by 2014.
Speaking at the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales conference at Cardiff Story last month, Lewis said there would be a heritage conference in July as part of the process of consultation on the bill, and that he hoped a strategy for the historic environment would be in place by the autumn.
The minister reiterated the government’s support for museums in hard economic times. “We will not go down the road of governments elsewhere by introducing the big society or stepping back from the public sector,” he said. “I want the government to be a proactive partner.”
Lewis also hinted that museums might become a statutory service and “brought into the fold” as a result of the heritage bill.
He stressed the importance of Communities First, the Welsh government’s programme to improve the living conditions for people in the most disadvantaged communities.
Lewis added that museums shouldn’t underestimate their role in combating child poverty. “Don’t be scared of it,” he said. “It’s not a job solely for politicians to get on with, it’s a job for all of us.”
The event, which was the federation’s first conference, took the theme of museums and communities.
Speaking at the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales conference at Cardiff Story last month, Lewis said there would be a heritage conference in July as part of the process of consultation on the bill, and that he hoped a strategy for the historic environment would be in place by the autumn.
The minister reiterated the government’s support for museums in hard economic times. “We will not go down the road of governments elsewhere by introducing the big society or stepping back from the public sector,” he said. “I want the government to be a proactive partner.”
Lewis also hinted that museums might become a statutory service and “brought into the fold” as a result of the heritage bill.
He stressed the importance of Communities First, the Welsh government’s programme to improve the living conditions for people in the most disadvantaged communities.
Lewis added that museums shouldn’t underestimate their role in combating child poverty. “Don’t be scared of it,” he said. “It’s not a job solely for politicians to get on with, it’s a job for all of us.”
The event, which was the federation’s first conference, took the theme of museums and communities.