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Dear UKDN Member

UKDN staff have spent hours on the telephone with various organizations discussing PAS (Portable Antiquity Scheme) funding. The upshot of all of this is that the MLA (from where the PAS's funding comes) has stated that there will be a freeze on the funding of the PAS next year.

It is also worth noting on a more serious note that Roy Clare (MLA Chief
Executive) has stated that he is getting rid of the PAS central Unit which includes Roger Bland, Michael Lewis, Dan Pett and others, which will basically mean the failure of the PAS. Mr Clare wishes to have any remaining FLO's (the ones that don't leave the scheme) sent out to Hub Museum's in the regions, which means that you will find it very difficult to record anything unless you’re near one of these museums.

We have been talking to the PAS and the head of the CBA (Mike Hayworth) states there is a real threat to our hobby as we now know it!

We cannot get across to you all strongly enough what this will mean down the line i.e the PAS will fail if it comes into contact with Roy Clare's Axe, if that happens then we'll suffer for sure. This is not some kind of scare tactic, but a straight forward, no punches pulled assessment of where things are going. If you don't believe me then buy a copy of the current British Archaeology and read page 7.

"In the week that it emerged the government was soon to announce that the £150m Stonehenge roads and visitor project was to be scrapped, the museums, Libraries and Archives Council said it planned to shed the Portable Antiquities Scheme's central unit, effectively initiating the scheme's end.

Angie Bolton, FLO for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, told British Archaeology that they could not do their job without the central unit. "We need the expertise of the finds advisor's", she said, "we need the database". Asked if the scheme would fall without the central unit, she replied, "Definite, yes. It will fold"."

So if that's how a senior FLO like Angie sees it then there's the evidence to the real threat to what you do each week legally. Let UKDN say this loud and clear - “if the PAS fails then our hobby at some point after this event will be going the way of fox-hunting and the like.”

Well can we do anything about this? an unequivocal YES is the answer, but it means we'll all have to play our part and not sit and wait for others!

In talking to people that matter we need to do get in touch with our MP's, in doing so we need to put some pressure on straight away. An early day motion is going before Parliament next week and we need to get this issue in the faces of those who represent us.

We need to be asking them to ring-fence the PAS funding and preserve the level of services they currently give in line with inflation. We also need to say that the MLA is now prejudicial to the PAS (they want shot of it) and that the best home for the PAS is in the British Museum.

Guy's we cannot get across to you the seriousness of what's now happening, the NCMD are aware and hopefully doing what they can (let's hope!).