THE Government has said again that 94 per cent of claims on constructing projects under its Listed Places of Worship Grant (LPWG) Scheme can be unaffected by the brand new £25,000 cap on VAT exemption, and that areas of deprivation and low economic activity would proceed to profit (News, 21 March).
The Conservative MP Rebecca Smith had asked the Government whether consideration had been given to the potential impact of the changes on those areas, and on projects already began or on account of begin shortly.
In a written answer on Monday, the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Chris Bryant, confirmed that the DCMS had “received advice” on the results of the cap, announced in January. The assessment has not been published.
St Michael-le-Belfrey, York, is ready to fall short by £1.4 million on its £12-million repair and renewal project, Impact. The £8.4-million constructing phase began in August 2024. It continues to lobby for exemption.
The latest cap applies from 1 April. The short notice had been the most important blow, the Impact project manager, Gillian Shepherd, said on Tuesday. “If they’d said this was going to are available in next 12 months, that might still have been a blow, however the churches could have planned for it and worked it into the budget.
“We worked so hard on our financial forecast, and on the value-engineering exercise before construction. We appreciate that the Government has been facing a large selection after the Budget, and there was sympathy for our viewpoint, but they’re taking a really hard line on this.”
The St Michael-le-Belfrey project combines repairs to the medieval constructing with the introduction of accessible and versatile space, updated facilities, and sustainable heating. Its website describes Impact as “one of the radical and exquisite transformations of a Grade I listed constructing, to deliver a much better equipped church for generations to return. . . We will offer a more welcoming space that supports social motion, improves our visitor experience, and provides a medium-sized venue for the town.”
The worst-case scenario, if St Michael’s was unable to satisfy the shortfall, can be an incomplete constructing — an consequence that no one would want, Ms Shepherd said.
“Next, we’d should ask what . . . will we determine we don’t do? By taking a few of those out, we might see a discount in our social transformation, and fewer capability to welcome worshippers.”
Social transformation has been a key element of the project. Over the past three years, the church has joined with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to supply support and counselling services, opened a foodbank, recently recruited a mental-health nurse, and has been working with vulnerable families and communities, and with homelessness charities, around the town. It also hopes to change into a more interactive visitor attraction to spice up the local economy.
The bill for the project includes the fee of moving from the constructing while work is under way, leasing the De Grey Rooms near by as a short lived venue. Giving from the congregation had been a part of the fund-raising, Ms Shepherd said.
She praised the “phenomenal support” of the Labour and Co-operative MP for York Central, Rachel Maskell, who sponsored the CAP exemption motion tabled on 27 February. Supporters are being urged to lobby their MPs, in addition to Mr Bryant and the Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, before the 1 April deadline, with the next message:
“If the £25k cap is imposed, York might be left with a visual constructing site, a reduced social transformation programme, fewer opportunities to share the Christian faith, a smaller leadership development programme, and removal of a key city-centre visitor attraction. The impact is subsequently spiritual, social and economic across the town and the broader region.”
