Conservation staff shortfall puts landmark buildings at risk

Local TV

Birmingham’s heritage workload is rising while the conservation team runs thin. We examine the risks, the politics and the impact on jobs, high streets and identity.

Transcript

00:01Birmingham holds about 2,000 listed buildings and about 30 conservation areas.

00:07That scale needs specialists. Right now the council says it's short,

00:11with sickness and departures hitting the conservation team.

00:15A local firm is in for three months and one permanent post is promised.

00:21Why it matters that neglect costs more than care,

00:24stabilising a roof or securing a facade, keeps skilled jobs,

00:28preserves character on the high street and supports footfall.

00:32Letting assets rot ends in emergency props, illegal rouse or demolition.

00:37Pressure shows in big names. The old grammar school in Kings Norton is on the at-risk register.

00:43The Crown on Steishon Street won listing.

00:46Next door the Electric Cinema closed and was refused listing in March.

00:50Methodist Central Hall is back on the market and on the Victorian Society's endangered list.

00:56Inside the council there's a fight over cause.

00:59Labour points to a decade of cuts and wider staffing gaps.

01:03Opponents point to the Oracle finance project with costs forecast beyond 200 million by 2026,

01:11plus an equal pay bill in the hundreds of millions.

01:14Both drain capacity from planning.

01:17Which conservation areas are flagged at risk and who is delivering their management plans?

01:23The council says extra support is in place and recruitment is underway.

01:28The test is whether backlogs fall and landmark buildings stop slipping.

01:33Because once heritage steps into crisis, recovery takes longer, costs more

01:38and leaves another hole in a city already patching the basics.

01:42Once you search for aha sleeves with an Alexandria.

01:43At first glance it says almost twice.

01:45Due to the

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