7949 Heritage Action Zone Initiative Review - AWARD

The Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) Programme was set up in 2016-2017. Through the programme, Historic England works with local people and partners, including local authorities, to help breathe new life into specific places that are rich in heritage. We are doing this through joint-working, grant funding and sharing our skills.

The purpose of this contract is to review the HAZ Rounds 1 to 3, to:

• oAssess the achievements of the HAZ programme to date against its agreed Principles, Aims and Objectives.
• oDetermine how effectively the HAZ Programme Evaluation Framework has enabled monitoring of the progress and impact of the initiative.
• oReview the way the programme is structured and managed nationally and locally in order to support the effective delivery of Rounds 1-3 and future rounds, identifying benefits, risks, issues and lessons that could be applied.

Linking closely with Historic England's emerging Place-making strategy and Public Value Framework, the review will make recommendations for:

• oManaging the overall HAZ Programme
• oManaging the individual Heritage Action Zones
• oImproving the HAZ processes
• oHow Historic England assigns resource for HAZ
• oTraining requirements for Historic England staff
• oHow to engage with the wider heritage sector and communities
• oHow HAZs currently align with, and can become a key delivery tool for, Historic England's Place-Making Strategy