Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Heritage Sector: Impact of Spending Review

Thursday 3 July 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Pam Cox hosted Dame Mary Beard to visit the Colchester Roman Circus, advocating for increased recognition of the site.
  • Lisa Smart inquired about the impact of heritage funding on Greater Manchester, specifically highlighting Wigan's significance.
  • The UK is one of the largest contributors to UNESCO, supporting 35 world heritage sites.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Pam Cox Lab Colchester
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP referenced a visit by Dame Mary Beard to the Colchester Roman Circus, highlighting its national importance and potential for development. The site combines elements of sport, culture, and media.

Question

Last month, I was pleased to host a true heritage champion, Dame Mary Beard, in Colchester. She came to visit an incredible sporting heritage site: Britain’s only known Roman chariot racing track, the Colchester Roman Circus. She, like me, thinks that we should make much more of the site and that we are missing a national trick if we do not. Does the Minister agree that any new housing development adjacent to the site must make the most of this national heritage value, and will he visit the site, which surely combines both elements of his brief—actually, all the elements: sport, culture and media—in the most spectacular fashion?

Answer from The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism (Chris Bryant)

As my hon. Friend knows, I fully support the project, which I know she has been engaged in since before she was an MP right through until now. I am delighted that she has Mary Beard involved and I am sure that by the end of this, she will be able to pronounce “Veni, vidi, vici.”

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to visiting the site or ensuring new housing developments make use of its heritage value.

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Q2 Lisa Smart Lib Dem Hazel Grove
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP highlighted the importance of communities in Greater Manchester seeking world heritage site status to protect and support their heritage assets.

Question

The Secretary of State and I are lucky enough to represent Greater Manchester constituencies, in a part of the country that played a pivotal role in our industrial heritage. Now, although Wigan is lovely, it is not Hazel Grove, so she will not have the junction of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canal, she will not have our wonderful Marple aqueduct and she will not have one of the longest lock flights in the country. What support will the Minister give to communities like mine that are keen to see our area have world heritage site status so that these heritage assets get the support, funding and protection that they deserve?

Answer from The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism (Chris Bryant)

Well, I have just been told that I am on the side of Wigan. [Laughter.] But there is a more serious point here, which is that the UK has 35 UNESCO world heritage sites. We are one of the two biggest contributors in the world to UNESCO and passionate supporters of it. There is a slight danger that if we have too many and we add too many to the list, people will start trying to take others off us, so we have to manage it carefully. None the less, the hon. Lady makes a good point about the historic sites in many of our constituencies that we need to preserve, not least as part of our tourism offer for international visitors.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific support or commitments regarding UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

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