10th October 2008, 11:08 AM
I wasn't just talking about the use of volunteers. I was talking about (what appears to me) subsidising commercial excavation with members of the public who are paying hundreds of pounds to take part. While I admit the outreach and educational aspect is good, and possibly part of the remit of their charitable status, how can other non-charitable units possibly compete with this in a competitive tendering situation? The only way (that I can see) is to make their tenders so low that their site staff are paid next to nothing and they have to reduce the quality of their work in order to stay within budget.