Government called to continue financial support for places of worship

English Heritage has called upon the Government to continue a major grant scheme to help places of worship struggling with costly repairs.

The Listed Places of Worship Scheme for England (LPWS), funded by the Treasury, offers places of worship repair grants to the sum of £12 million a year and is due to expire in 2011.

A new survey from English Heritage out today found that while the LPWS scheme only provides grants to cover 17.5 per cent of the total cost of repairs – equivalent to VAT - one in five places of worship say they would not have been able to carry out the repair work without it.

Eighty-six per cent of LPWS recipients polled said the grant had helped to halt the decline of their worship buildings, while 76 per cent said it had prevented irreversible damage.

Places of worship may also receive grants through the £25 million a year Repair Grants for Places of Worship Scheme (RGPW), funded jointly by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For 73 per cent of places surveyed, the grant made up more than 50 per cent of their total budget for the repair work and 76 per cent of congregations said they would not have been able to complete their repair and maintenance projects without it. This means that in the last eight years, more than 1,100 of England’s most important places of worship would have become seriously at risk. More than 250 believe they would have had to close altogether.

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Our research into the effect of the two main sources of state funding for places of worship underlines their vital importance to sustaining these jewels of local heritage in every city, town and village.

“The joint English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund scheme will run until at least 2013 but we urge the Government to respond to the call from the whole places of worship sector to continue the LPWS scheme beyond March 2011.”

The survey also looked at the overall condition of some 14,500 places of worship in England. It found that around 90 per cent of places of worship in England were in “good” or “fair” condition, while the remaining 10 per cent were found to be in “poor” or “very bad” condition and in need of “urgent” repair.

Thurley said it was a “huge testament to the hard work and altruism” of many congregations that most places of worship were in good condition.

“They take on responsibility for their building in addition to their commitment to worship and community service, finding almost all the necessary funding from their own pockets,” he said.

“They keep England’s most beautiful buildings going for all of us to enjoy whether we want to be worshippers or not.”

The grants were found to have brought other benefits, including allowing places of worship to broaden the way their buildings were used by the community and increasing the number of visitors. Places of worship also stated that the grants had enabled them to plan for the future and avoid more costly repairs further down the road.

The survey identified some of the key concerns of places of worship. It found that funding for major repairs was a “constant worry” for two-thirds of congregations. Other concerns included finding out what it means to be a listed building, getting permission to make changes, finding funding for improving facilities, legal responsibilities and opening up to visitors.

Thurley warned that although an estimated £925 million of repairs will need to be carried out on places of worship in the next five years, the current climate of increased unemployment, low interest rates and reduced returns on invested capital would make fundraising for repairs “a greater challenge than ever”. He added that many places of worship did not know where to turn for help or advice.

“Some congregations are finding the responsibility harder to bear unless their whole community comes together to support its most historic and iconic building,” he said.

“I urge everyone who cares about their local church, chapel, synagogue or other place of worship to lend a hand. Don’t be put off by what might seem like an impossible challenge – the key is to do small things really well.

“Finding somewhere to serve cups of tea might achieve just as much as a major building project. Clearing gutters could save the need for a whole new roof or renewing damp walls at a cost of thousands of pounds.”

English Heritage has produced a new practical guide, Caring For Places of Worship, accompanied by a DVD and website pointing congregations to places of help. The guide has been sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance and will be sent to every single listed place of worship in England.

On the web: www.english-heritage.org.uk/powar