Government fund for historic churches opens for submissions

The government has announced the launch of three funds aimed toward preserving Britain’s cultural heritage, including a special fund for places of worship.

Churches have previously expressed concern in regards to the slashing and abolition of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS).

The LPWGS was first instituted by Gordon Brown as Chancellor and gave historic churches an exemption from paying VAT on repairs. The Starmer government nearly halved the budget for the scheme to £23 million before announcing the scheme can be replaced entirely.

The latest Places of Worship Renewal Fund can also be set at £23 million and is supposed to assist those places of worship which might be in probably the most need of assistance to perform urgent repairs. Announcing the measure, the federal government said the scheme provided “much-needed certainty to the church sector”.

Church leaders have previously been critical of the federal government’s handling of the matter.

In March the then moderator of the Church of Scotland General Assembly, the Rt Rev Rosie Frew, said, “We were surprised to learn, via a press release, that LPWGS is being closed at the tip of the month and really disillusioned that this decision was taken with none formal consultation with religious denominations in Scotland.

“The UK Government announced a alternative grant scheme for England only at the tip of January and the UK Government appears to not have informed the Scottish Government prior to this unexpected announcement.”

The National Trust also said that the abrupt end of the LPWGS “leaves potentially a whole bunch of churches within the lurch”.

The opening of the brand new scheme to bids this week was welcomed by the Church of England’s joint lead bishop for buildings, Dr Jane Steen.

“Our church buildings are national treasures for the common good, each for his or her spiritual, cultural and historical significance and the vital practical help they supply communities across the country,” she said. 

Dr Steen added that the majority fundraising for church repairs continued to fall on the shoulders of local volunteers.

“We welcome the launch of the Fund and we look ahead to working closely with Historic England, in helping encourage eligible churches to make full use of the scheme,” she said.