By Frank Noakes

LONDON -- English Heritage is set to hive off half of its ancient monuments and properties and sack 25% of its workforce in a move prompted by the Tory government. In three years time all remaining 300 Heritage craftspersons will go as their jobs are privatised.

Jocelyn Stevens, the right-wing English Heritage chairperson and government appointee, has taken less then six months to devise the vandalism of English history. His proposals, unsurprisingly supported by the government, would see local authorities asked to take responsibility for local sites, which most have said they could not afford to do.

A few sites will probably be taken over by voluntary local historical societies, but these have made it clear that they would need funding; but given that the whole exercise is designed to relocate money away from heritage and culture any funding promises would likely be short term.

Stevens, who aged two weeks inherited a mansion fully staffed by servants, in other words, just an ordinary bloke, says he is not keen on entrepreneurs taking over sites but would not rule it out. Many ``unimportant''sites, at least to Stevens and the government, will be doomed to oblivion, sacrificed to their most sacred site -- the market.

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