THE Minister for Local Government, Jim McMahon, has declined to provide any assurance that the Listed Places of Worship Grant (LPWG) Scheme will probably be made everlasting, or that projects already under way will probably be exempt from the brand new cap.
In a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday, Mr McMahon said that the boundaries placed on the scheme were “because of the difficult fiscal circumstances that this Government inherited”. Continuation of the scheme was a matter for the Comprehensive Spending Review, because of happen in June.
In January, the Government announced that the scheme had been prolonged for one yr only and capped at £23 million, and that individual places of worship were ligible for a maximum of £25,000 (News, 24 January). The decision has prompted widespread criticism within the heritage sector, including warnings of “devastating” consequences for projects (News, 11 April).
The debate on Tuesday was secured by the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Marsha de Cordova, and the Conservative MP for Salisbury, John Glen. Ms de Cordova said: “The retrospective implementation of the brand new scheme is causing immense difficulty and stopping responsible budgeting or commissioning work as a part of multi-year refurbishment schemes and good stewardship of those buildings.” It was estimated that 260 Church of England churches can be affected.
Her speech was one among many who highlighted the economic and social contributions made by churches to communities, “contributions often delivered for gratis to the State but with such an important return for the communities during which they serve” (Comment, 5 November 2021). Several speakers referred to her own church, Holy Trinity, Clapham, where a £6.2-million project is now in danger.
“We need a long-term solution,” she said. “It is time to provide stability and certainty to those treasures of our built heritage.” Her three requests were to make the LPWG Scheme everlasting, with out a cap; to prioritise support for projects already under way, or with contracts already under way; and to think about the establishment of a latest capital funding scheme for listed places of worship.
As a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Glen told MPs that he could remember the “constant demand for extra money”, but recalled that cash had been secured by the previous government for the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund (News, 21 March 2014), the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund (News, 20 March 2015), and the Heritage Stimulus Fund for major works, a component of the cultural recovery fund in 2021 and 2022 (News, 29 October 2021).
“Public funds are clearly challenged, but I do think there is big willingness in lots of communities where the Government are doing something to match that funding,” he said. He advised Mr McMahon to think about while planning his budget that “a Chancellor is at all times in search of small items, excellent news stories”. There was “an important opportunity to seek out a capital grant scheme for matched funding from philanthropic and charitable giving that may be really popular and welcomed across the home”.
During her speech, Ms de Cordova highlighted the Church of England’s own funding contributions, including the £11-million Buildings for Mission fund (News, 10 November 2023) and the £30 million provided in Cathedrals Sustainability Fund grants since 2017. She also referred the £100-million pledged by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (News, 13 September 2024) and parish giving. But, she warned: “This won’t be enough to support every church to undertake its essential work.”
Parliament TVThe Conservative MP for Salisbury, John Glen, speaks within the Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday morning
The Liberal Democrat culture spokesman, Max Wilkinson, told MPs: “Historically, churches have provided greater than spiritual guidance, although that’s, after all, their primary service. They funded hospitals, they built schools, and supported essentially the most vulnerable long before the trendy welfare state. They were they usually still are the institutions to which a lot of us turn first in times of hardship and crisis. . . They often step in where the State has stepped back.”
A “full-time dad” before his election, he expressed gratitude for the churches that hosted toddler groups in his area.
The Conservative MP for Torridge and Tavistock, Sir Geoffrey Cox KC, spoke of “the problem in getting the Church to recognise that it, too, has an obligation to face by the side of local communities when these wonderful and precious buildings are to be closed as places of worship and help them find community purpose for it. The Church can’t ignore its responsibility.”
The Shadow Culture Minister, Saqib Bhatti, described the Government’s response to the “repairs crisis” as “one among delay, confusion, and cuts” and called for “the top of the dithering. . . The Government must work to guard our national heritage with pride, not leave them crumbling in the dead of night shadows of bureaucratic delay.”
In his response, Mr McMahon highlighted the £50 million allocated by the Government to guard faith communities, including £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant and £29.4 million through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme. He also spoke of the Government’s £1.5-billion funding for 75 chosen communities through the Plan for Neighbourhoods. Local neighbourhood boards could include representatives from faith communities and hold discussions on the role of places of worship, he said.
In addition to the funding outlined by Ms de Cordova, listed places of worship is perhaps eligible “in exceptional circumstances” for Heritage at Risk funding from Historic England. “It is rarely only one fund that gives the reply to the query, it’s about mixing different funding streams together in the long run to make these schemes add up,” he said.
Mr Glen urged him to think about that inside the budgets for which he was responsible “there will probably be capital underspends in yr.” He suggested that Mr McMahon could make the case to the Treasury that a few of this money be allocated to works already in progress: “a really savvy and politically sensible way of proceeding”.
The Minister assured the MPs that: “I will definitely take back the keenness from this debate and make the purpose to other ministers in DCMS and likewise the minister for faith.”
In his contribution, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, Terry Jermy, said that the Labour MP with the constituency with the second largest variety of places of worship on the Heritage at Risk Register was the Prime Minister.
 Scheme will probably be...){kind=link}