Sandwell Council · @sandwellcouncil
9th Dec 2011 from Twitlonger
@t_elliot, re our archaeology services.
We have restructured our entire planning department, which included the archaeology service, to make it more efficient and cost effective.
We face tough choices because of a drop in income from planning applications and developments, due to the economic downturn, at a time when the council has to make overall cuts and savings of £75m within four years because of Government cuts.
There have been two redundancies because of the move away from an in-house archaeological service, alongside others across planning.
We have a long and proud history here in Sandwell which we are committed to preserving and celebrating.
Our conservation officer will play a key role in this – and we are confident we will continue to provide an effective service including a comprehensive Sites and Monuments Record.
Our new arrangements also include working in partnership with another local authority to provide archaeological services when required.