CHURCHES are far more than buildings, and the Listed Places of Worship Grant (LPWG) Scheme is “beyond vital” to be certain that they will proceed to be at the center of communities, the Christian Funders’ Forum (CFF) has warned the Government.
These buildings are also often of great architectural value, the CFF, a gaggle of fifty grant-making charities say. They award grants totalling £70 million a 12 months.
Churches resembling St Michael-le-Belfrey, York, and St Mary Magdalene’s, Newark (News, 14 March, 4 April), where significant repair and restoration projects were already well advanced when the £25,000 cap on VAT exemption for repairs was announced in January, have been dismayed by the shortfalls in funding with which they are actually confronted (News, 28 March).
In a letter last week to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, the CFF calls for the LPGW Scheme to proceed and for the cap to be removed. If the scheme were withdrawn, the implications can be “devastating”, it says.
The letter refers back to the example of St John’s, Chatham, which reopened in 2021 and is now on the core of a regeneration project in the neighborhood. “The newly imposed cap will now leave this project £100,000 in need of its funding targets and at a critical stage in its delivery,” the letter says. “The church will now must cut vital elements from its projects or find alternative funding sources that are already exhausted. . .
“The work of addressing social need is undervalued and unrecognised. It is already extremely difficult for churches to fulfill the demands of their communities and generate adequate income to keep up their buildings, which is why the Listed Places of Worship scheme is beyond vital.”
St Mary’s, Banbury, a 200-year-old Grade I listed constructing, is certainly one of the most important parish churches in England. Services are well attended, and the church hosts a variety of arts events, which include an early-music festival, choirs, a symphony orchestra, craft fairs, and a poetry workshop, in addition to school Christmas live shows.
It also hosts civic events, including the annual Remembrance service. The parish church and church centre provide a base for social-action projects, including support for homeless people and Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups.
A £1-million project is under approach to repair a piece of the roof and update the lighting and sound systems. New kitchen facilities would mean that the church could open a café, with the aim of creating it more sustainable and attractive to community groups.
“We are a part of Banbury’s historic heritage, and a serious attraction for tourists, in addition to the largest venue for arts within the town,” the Rector, the Revd Serena Tajima, says. “We struggled to have the ability to search out the funding for this work under the previous scheme. The latest £25,000 cap on claims this 12 months will make our task even harder.”
The PCC and Rector of St Mary’s, Totnes, are also calling on the Government to reverse its decision on the cap. The Fifteenth-century church attracts 50,000 visitors a 12 months and hosts a variety of arts and cultural events. The PCC is facing a £200,000 shortfall on a £1.68-million repair-and-restoration project. The money can be used to handle issues that include accessibility and an outdated heating system that signifies that cushions and blankets are getting used to maintain people warm at evening events. The Team Rector, the Revd James Barlow, has described the church as “always crumbling”.
The CFF letter concludes: “It is in everyone’s interests that churches should proceed to keep up buildings that sit at the center of their communities and are sometimes of great architectural value.”
