What can Government do?
-
St John's, Middlesborough Give English Heritage the money to help the denominations tackle the problem properly:
- A one-off payment of £2.52m to enable us to re-write out-dated list descriptions for all grade I listed places of worship in England; and
- £8m a year for three years for the following:
- £2m annual maintenance grants via denominations to the congregations most in need
- £750,000 to half-fund 15 Places of Worship Support Officers
- £1.25m to run regular training programmes for these Support Officers and for local authorities and congregations, to fund strategic buildings surveys and to produce better guidance
- £4m for a grants scheme for repairs too small to qualify for the existing EH/HLF Repair Grants for Places ofWorship Scheme
- Establish a permanent means to relieve listed places of worship of the burden of VAT on all their repairs
- Ensure that the Heritage Lottery Fund can continue its commitment to funding places of worship
- Re-inflate its funding for the Churches Conservation Trust
