IHBC Parliamentary Briefing launches 5 commitments to help heritage skills in conservation

[edit] From Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish in Retrofit

On 18 November the IHBC hosted the 2025 Westminster launch of its new ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’, informed by cross-cutting research into challenges across the full landscape of IHBC’s heritage skills interests…… ‘From Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish in Retrofit’.

[edit] Helping heritage skills in conservation: 5 commitments

IHBC’s 5 commitments to help heritage skills in conservation:

1. Advocate: Present targeted parliamentary-level briefings across the UK and its Home Nations.
2. Educate: Enhance access to IHBC standards and services across all built and historic environment practices and operations.
3. Investigate: Investigate the complex challenges in heritage management processes and skills and respond accordingly.
4. Celebrate: Celebrate the achievements of heritage skillS in conservation, helped by our CREATIVE Conservation Fund.
5. Integrate: Establish and host a new network, open and free, to support service leads delivering conservation-related learning, training and education.

• Follow link for ‘IHBC’s 5 Commitments’ in detail'
• Follow link for research and related references and links
• Follow link for more on the IHBC’s CREATIVE Conservation Fund

[edit] IHBC President Rebecca Thompson

IHBC President Rebecca Thompson, who inspired this IHBC skills initiative, said:

‘Thank you to the Earl of Devon for sponsoring the event and to Linsey Farnsworth MP for supporting our vision. I was delighted to share the IHBC’s ‘5 Commitments’ as the institute’s response to the new research – supported by the IHBC’s CREATIVE Conservation Fund – into ‘Heritage Skills in Conservation.

'The scope of the research reflects the concerns of our IHBC members. We constitute a diverse range of Conservation Professionals in critical practice areas for heritage care, from craft skills and professional practice to, of course, retrofit. The session in Parliament enabled us to communicate our commitment to address the needs of the heritage sector and the positive impact this will have throughout the built environment, especially in that most complex of practices, the retrofit of our traditional building stock.’

[edit] IHBC Chair and lead for the evening David McDonald

IHBC Chair and lead for the evening David McDonald said:

‘I was delighted to chair the IHBC’s Parliamentary Briefing and reception on Heritage Skills in Conservation, and to welcome, on behalf of the IHBC. the ground-breaking scoping research by Cathedral Communications, supported by our CREATIVE Conservation Fund.

‘This Parliamentary engagement follows on from our 2022 All Party Parliamentary Group report on ‘Heritage Values’. This new IHBC-commissioned, independent research captures the wide range of serious skills shortages and highlights gaps across all heritage practice areas relevant to our shared sector priorities.

‘Though this research is still evolving, it captures more than enough to inform the IHBC’s own ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation. I look forward to working with others to progress our essential, and demanding, commitments.’

[edit] Introducing tthe 5 Commitments

Rebecca Thompson writes in her introduction to IHBC’s ‘5 Commitments’ to Heritage Skills:

‘I am delighted to welcome the IHBC’s response to a new report into ‘Heritage Skills in Conservation’, supported by the IHBC’s CREATIVE Conservation Fund. The report is an independent scoping of barriers to key skills needed for successful built and historic environment conservation. It helps shape our response to this costly and damaging story of skills deficits and disappointments. Ranging from old crafts and new trades to professional practice and, of course, retrofit, its grand and ambitious sweep captures a challenging account of poor decisions and missed opportunities.

The wide scope reflects the concerns of IHBC members who, as Conservation Professionals, work across development processes to achieve the best viable outcomes for valued places and buildings.That scope also reflects the IHBC’s successful case to apply for a Charter, as we continue to focus on enhancing the public benefits of cross-cutting and interdisciplinary conservation practice. Here, our own ‘Five Commitments’ lists how we will respond to the skills challenges captured in the report. So I hope everyone can use this work too, to help you seize on any opportunities to address them.’

[edit] Related links and further information

See links and more at Parliamentary Briefings The Institute of Historic Building Conservation including the ‘5 Commitments’ at IHBC’s 5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation and the scoping research at Heritage Skills in Conservation An independent sector survey

See more background to IHBC’s Parliamentary engagement on the NewsBlogs and on the archived website of the IHBC’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Conservation, Places & People, as well as ‘THE VALUE OF HERITAGE: FIRST REPORT of the APPG’ See more on the IHBC’s CREATIVE Conservation Fund below.

This article appears on the IHBC news and blog site as "IHBC’s 2025 Parliamentary Briefing launches research-led ‘5 Commitments to Help Heritage Skills in Conservation’… From Crafts in Crisis to Rubbish in Retrofit" dated 21 November, 2025.

--Institute of Historic Building Conservation

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• A social, circular economy.
• Circular economy in the built environment.
• Conservation.
• Heritage.
• Heritage building skills and live-site training.
• IHBC articles.
• Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
• Retrofit.
• Retrofit roles.
• Renovation v refurbishment v retrofit.
• Skills gap.
• Skills.
• The need for skills: The heritage perspective.