photo credit Cornish Mining WHS / Ainsley Cocks

Cornish Mining WHS – request for quotes

November 23, 2021 Published by Alex McCoskrie

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Cornwall Mining World Heritage Site Partnership Board Governance Review

Cornwall Council would like to invite submissions to quote for a review of the Cornwall Mining World Heritage Site Partnership Board to ensure it is compliant with World Heritage Convention Operational Guidelines and principles underpinning WHS governance and that it is fit for purpose to support delivery of the priorities outlined in the WHS management plan.

The State Party (UK Government) has a duty to ensure World Heritage Sites (WHS) within its jurisdiction are protected for present and future generations. Numerous government departments and agencies have a role to play in this. Many of the responsibilities are in practice delivered by other organisations most notably local authorities. Day to day responsibility for the care and management of many Sites sits with the owners or operators of the physical assets that represent the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). For complex serial Sites, of which Cornwall Mining World Heritage Site (CMWHS) is an example, this means the responsibility for meeting the terms of the Convention sits with a wide range of bodies including public, charitable and private organisations and individuals.

To provide a structure for this complexity within the CMWHS, governance arrangements were put in place to bring together the principal management bodies as a WHS Partnership Board. The Board is responsible, on behalf of the UK government, for overseeing the production and implementation of the Management Plan and providing information for periodic reporting to UNESCO. The Board is advised by a Technical Panel, made up of professional staff from the Partner organisations with management plan related specialisms. The Board is currently set up as a Joint Local Authority Committee (comprising Cornwall Council, West Devon Borough Council and Devon County Council) with a Memorandum of Agreement and accompanying schedules that set out the remit and terms of its operation.

Cornwall Council is wishing to commission the provision of a governance review of the Partnership Board to carry out a thorough review of the governance arrangements of the Partnership Board and its associated Partnership Agreement paperwork to ensure this supports the delivery of UNESCO principles and the adopted Management Plan for the Cornwall Mining World Heritage Site.

Submission deadline is 10th December 2021.

Full details of the Request for Quote (RFQ) can be accessed below, as can Cornwall Council’s contract standard terms and conditions.