Baroness Twycross – Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling, and Lords Minister
Our national and local archives steward collections that make up our nation’s memory. They contain stories that bind us, offer insight into our own genealogy, provide inspiration that sparks creative works, and unlock vital data that enable research and effective administration.
By safeguarding our collective knowledge, archives connect individuals to their identities and communities to their shared histories. They preserve the essence of who we are, support social justice and protect our cultural heritage.
Archives provide transparency on past actions, support evidence-based policy making and play a pivotal role in public inquiries that hold decision makers to account. They have an impact on every part of society and underpin our democracy.
This vision for archives in England is an opportunity to recognise everything that archives already do to support society as well as archives’ potential to achieve more. The depth and quality of archives in England is a key national strength and testament to the work of recordkeepers past and present.
In developing this vision, The National Archives has consulted key external stakeholders, archive services, partner organisations and archive users. Thank you to everyone who has played a role in helping forge this vision for the years ahead.
This vision recognises that archives must continue to deliver their integral purpose of collecting, preserving, organising, cataloguing and providing access to records of enduring value. I would also like to thank everyone who painstakingly carries out this important work each day.
In a rapidly changing world, this vision, along with all those working within our archives sector, seeks to secure archives for the future and ensure that everyone sees the relevance of archives to their lives.