THE Listed Places of Worship Grant (LPWG) Scheme has been prolonged for one yr only and capped at £23 million. Individual places of worship are eligible for a maximum of £25,000.
Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday, the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant, spoke of a “very tough” financial situation in his department, with “a number of competing demands.”
After almost 90 minutes of contributions from MPs describing the needs of parish churches and cathedrals of their constituencies, including projects that would not go ahead without the scheme, he said: “By tradition, a cathedral just isn’t symmetrical because only God is ideal. I’m sure this just isn’t perfection for whatever everybody would want, but I hope it’s at the very least acceptable.”
The scheme, launched in 2001 and prolonged by every ensuing government (News, 11 February 2022) provides grants covering the VAT on repairs costing greater than £1000 to listed buildings used as places of worship. It was because of expire at the tip of March. A DCMS press release said that, on the idea of previous scheme data, 94 per cent of claims were under £25,000, while Sir Chris told MPs that greater than 70 per cent were under £5000. The funding was prolonged to £42 million a yr in 2012, although only £29 million was claimed last yr, he said.
The Department reported last yr that nearly 5000 churches had received a grant. The press release identified eight recipients who had received between £67,000 and £600,000.
The debate was tabled by Bradley Thomas, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, who suggested that it could be a “travesty . . . if, for the sake of £30 million to the Exchequer, the Government exacerbates the decay of our historic, spiritual, and social heritage, with no upside”. The lack of the scheme “could at worst be the difference between being solvent or not and the long-term preservation of those buildings”.
Mr Thomas urged the Government to think about making the scheme everlasting reasonably than offer a “temporary reprieve” — a plea echoed by the Shadow Culture Minister, Saqib Bhatti. Sir Geoffrey Cox, the Conservative MP for Torridge and Tavistock, warned that the scheme itself wouldn’t make sure the survival of small parish churches, and urged the Government to “think about to what happens to those wonderful places”, which were vulnerable to closure.
Tessa Munt, the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman, the MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, relayed how one volunteer described writing “multiple lengthy applications for grants with often little to indicate in return”. The LPGW scheme, in its accessibility, “takes the sting off all of the trouble”.
On Wednesday, Sir Philip Rutnam, chair of the National Churches Trust, said that the charity was “deeply concerned” by the one-year extension, cap, and reduction within the budget: “This simply doesn’t provide enough certainty or support to churches, who need more time to plan and deliver repairs. . .
“We strongly imagine that the scheme ought to be made everlasting: it’s important to assist these buildings stay open, serving local people, and it’s the poorest and most isolated who will suffer most if these buildings are forced to shut.”
Fund-raising for repairs could take “multiple years”, the Trust said. The announcement would go away those chargeable for church buildings “cautious about planning any repair work. Local people cannot afford to pay an additional 20 per cent of costs.”
The extension of the LWPG scheme was welcomed by the joint lead bishops for church buildings, the Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Viv Faull, and the Bishop of Ramsbury, Dr Andrew Rumsey.
“We are pleased that it will bring temporary relief to many small scale projects already under way or anticipated within the near future, though the capping of the scheme will pose challenges to larger projects,” they said in a press release. “We stay up for continued close working with the religion and charity buildings sector, and the Government, towards safer funding in the long run for these buildings which might be so crucial to their communities.”
The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova MP, also welcomed the announcement. “Churches up and down the country are a cornerstone of their communities, providing social support alongside spiritual leadership,” she said. “I welcome the Government’s announcement to increase the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme for an additional 12 months, having listened to colleagues across all sides of the House of Commons.
“Going forward, it’s important that a long-term solution is reached for among the country’s most vital community buildings and that this scheme is made everlasting.”
