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War Memorials

My hon. Friend raises a fair point, and I undertake to write to her about how we can deal with the situation that she describes. We need volunteers to help us identify where memorials are located, but we also need to determine what we can do, in addition to the powers that we have already, when buildings change use. I realise that many war memorials might not be classed as, or situated in, listed buildings but, if a memorial represents a building of historic or architectural significance, an application can be made to English Heritage to have it considered for listing. Where neither a memorial nor the building in which it is situated merit listed-building status, the Government’s draft planning policy statement for the historic environment, currently out for consultation, encourages local authorities and owners to agree between them the significance of a building or its parts. In that way, and in advance of any application for planning consent, they can reach an understanding about what can or cannot be changed. I note that the London boroughs of Harrow, Bromley and Bexley keep registers of the war memorials situated in their areas in order to inform relevant planning decisions, and that two more boroughs are planning similar lists. That is certainly an approach to be encouraged, and I suggest that authorities should work with the national inventory wherever possible. Beyond statutory recognition and processes, however, and whether or not memorials are historically significant, there will always also be a role for local communities in making sure that memorials are respected for what they are and what they signify. As the hon. Member for Croydon, Central said, there is also a role for educators in making sure that people respect the legacies of those who gave their lives, and the tributes made to them. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes, I of course deplore any acts of vandalism that damage our memorials. I should also like to add my thanks to the Royal British Legion, English Heritage, the War Memorials Trust, the Imperial War museum and the National Memorial Arboretum, especially for their work with educators and children in making sure that memorials are understood and kept for future generations. English Heritage is helping us to recognise where memorials might be at risk, and where intervention might be needed. Last year, it launched its heritage-at-risk register, which sets out the buildings listed at the highest grades, and the scheduled ancient monuments, that are considered either to be at risk through neglect and decay or vulnerable to becoming so. I am pleased to report that, out of the more than 5,000 entries on the register, the number of purpose-built memorials is only just in double figures, and that just four are war memorials. Although I do not consider it appropriate this evening to name those memorials considered to be at risk, suffice it to say that English Heritage has the matter in hand on all of them. One memorial is in local authority ownership, and English Heritage is preparing to work with the authority and a local group to ensure its preservation. The others are, respectively, in private ownership, in the care of a charitable trust and in joint ownership. English Heritage is in discussions over all three. It is carrying out repairs in one case, in discussion with the local authority, and offering grants for repair in the other two cases. All in all, it is not a bad picture considering that there are approximately 1,200 listed war memorials. The help being offered by English Heritage in these cases brings me to the range of assistance that is on offer to those conserving and restoring memorials, by way of funding and guidance in the technical matters of restoration and maintenance. English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, in association with the War Memorials Trust, provide grants for the repair and conservation of freestanding war memorials in England. These grants enable those who are responsible for the upkeep of war memorials to carry out repair projects to a high standard. To date, over £600,000 has been offered to 250 projects. The War Memorials Trust has its own separate grant scheme. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport operates the memorials grant scheme, which makes grants to registered charities and faith groups equivalent to the VAT incurred in making repairs to, or establishing, public memorial structures, including war memorials. To date, the scheme has given out more than £1.5 million UK-wide. A significant proportion of this has helped to establish the armed forces memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, but many other grants have been made for the repair of war memorials across the UK. My hon. Friend’s website mentions some memorials in her constituency where the names, as she said, have become illegible. Where such memorials are in the care of charities or Church groups, a grant under this scheme could help with restoration. The sister scheme to the memorials grant scheme, the listed places of worship grant scheme, will also make grants equivalent to the VAT costs of making repairs to memorials that form part of the fabric of a listed church building. In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund, distributing funding from the lottery good causes contribution, has made 36 grants, totalling £17,369,308 where projects have involved the conservation or repair of war memorials or have sought to increase awareness of their significance and meaning. English Heritage cares for six of the capital’s most important memorials, including the Cenotaph. Altogether, there is a great deal of financial help out there for those who need it when caring for memorials. I have noted my hon. Friend’s comments about how we could go further. It was right and proper that she raised the issue. We are working to maintain our memorials, and I look forward to working with her and other colleagues across the House to make sure that we protect the memorials to those who gave their lives for this country. Question put and agreed to.