Nick Merriman has stepped down as chief executive of the UK conservation charity English Heritage after joining the organisation in January 2024. English Heritage says in a statement that Merriman resigned for personal reasons relating to family health. Geoff Parkin will serve as the charity’s interim chief executive.
Earlier this year, Merriman oversaw a restructure of the charity, reducing English Heritage’s 2,535-strong workforce by 7% or around 189 posts. A reduction in opening hours at around 10% of its 400 sites is also part of the restructure package. According to The Guardian, some staff were “angered by cost cutting under [Merriman’s] watch” (English Heritage declined to comment further).
According to a statement issued in January, “high inflation has increased the cost of conservation work at our sites but significant and ongoing expenditure is still required if the condition of the sites in our care is not to deteriorate”.
The charity, which became self-financing by 2023, stressed that it no longer receives regular funding from the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to care for the National Heritage Collection of state-owned historic sites and monuments including Stonehenge in Wiltshire. According to its annual review (2023-24), total income received came to £141.4m while total expenditure amounted to £155.5m.
“Like many organisations, we are operating in a challenging environment and the aim of these proposals is to ensure that English Heritage is financially resilient and can fulfil our charitable purposes,” it said in a statement.
Last September refugee charities praised English Heritage for a scheme giving refugees free entry to its sites, after it was criticised by a guest on the right-wing broadcaster GB News’s afternoon show.
