Majority of heritage organisations say their top concern is the cost of living crisis, finds survey

January 2023

Majority of heritage organisations say their top concern is the cost of living crisis: A survey of heritage organisations in the UK has revealed that 89% are concerned about the cost of living crisis, with more than half saying they are 'extremely concerned'.

There is no denying that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, heritage organisations have had it tough, and with the ongoing cost of living crisis, the road ahead for them is unlikely to be without challenges.

When asked what their concerns are for the coming year, nine in ten (90%) said they were worried about energy consumption, whilst a large number said they are worried about managing volunteer (80%) or staff wellbeing (79%). Eight in ten also said they were concerned about the recruitment and retention of volunteers, while slightly fewer were worried about the recruitment and retention of staff (78%).

With the cost of living crisis being felt in every area of the sector, 84% said they have had to cut costs to survive – not an ideal scenario when also trying to attract visitors who are also being more cautious about where and how they are spending their money.

Almost 6 out of 10 of the heritage organisations polled said they have experienced a reduction in visitor numbers following the pandemic. Amongst the reasons given for this were that visitors have an increased fear of socialising due to Covid-19 (68%), changes to working patterns (such as hybrid/flexible working), while 45% believe it is due to a reduction in disposable income brought about by the cost of living crisis.

Almost eight in ten heritage organisations said they feel they need to innovate to survive. In a bid to boost their survival, organisations are renegotiating contracts with existing suppliers (45%) or seeking new suppliers (43%), found the research, while others are limiting the space they have open to the public to save on energy costs (42%) as well as reducing opening hours (39%) or opening on fewer days (39%).

However, many heritage organisations have had to make staff redundancies (44%) or have reduced staff hours (39%) to navigate the waters ahead.

A focus on wellbeing

The research also highlighted that many heritage organisations are putting more of a focus on wellbeing for their staff (70%). More than half (53%) reported reassessing or increasing salaries, while 52% said they are offering better incentives for staff such as health insurance. Just over a third said they have looked at more flexible ways of working for staff, while just 3% said they have done nothing to support staff wellbeing.

Lizzie Glithero-West, Chief Executive, The Heritage Alliance said:

"The sector has displayed remarkable ingenuity, resilience and collaboration through recent crises, and with rising costs for both organisations and visitors, it will have to again."