Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester, spoke to the House of Lords on 25 June 2026:
Baroness Prentis of Banbury to ask His Majesty's Government how the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will differ from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
My Lords,
I am grateful to Baroness Prentis for securing this debate and indeed thank her for her service to the church. My fellow Lords Spiritual regret that they are not able to join for it – they are with their candidates for ordination, preparing for those services this weekend.
But I know they share my support for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, and the recognition from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, that places of worship are “part of who we are as a nation”.
As the Second Church Estates Commissioner put it when this scheme was raised in questions in the other place, churches are the “cornerstones of our communities”. It is hard to overestimate the significance they hold to people up and down this country, irrespective of faith. They are not only places of worship but vital community assets, contributing to heritage, social cohesion, and local economies. And I am pleased that the Government recognises that through this fund.
I am also aware that there has been a collaborative campaign for long-term sustainable support for the fabric of church buildings. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will unlock funding for capital works which would have been unavailable under the previous scheme.
In my own diocese, for example, there are a number of major parish churches in areas of high deprivation, which simply could not have raised the necessary funds needed for repairs, even with the VAT rebate.
There are, however, shortcomings to this new fund.
Firstly, far fewer churches overall will be supported through this new fund than were by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. The latter provided around £40 million a year, and supported around 5,000 listed places of worship per year. By contrast, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund works out at £23 million annually for four years and is expected to benefit around 100 to 150 listed places of worship each year.
Secondly, this fund only applies to England. Church buildings play as important a part in the heritage and community infrastructure of the devolved nations. So can the Minister explain how the Government plans to support churches in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales?
And thirdly, whilst I appreciate the focus on areas of high deprivation – where churches can struggle to raise funds – the Index of Multiple Deprivation does not reliably capture the challenges that rural areas face – in this respect and more broadly. Very rural areas have smaller communities to draw on for fundraising, and yet churches there play an even more important role in bringing people together – often as the only public building for miles. So, will there be any support extended to these churches in future years of the fund?
The financial challenging facing cathedrals and church buildings, and those who care for them, is growing. Recent funding pressures highlight a widening gap between the cost of maintaining historic places of worship and the resources available to support them. Many congregations are small, and the burden of upkeep increasingly falls on communities with limited resources.
So, a strategic, long-term funding approach is needed, which recognises that greater stability enables better planning, better outcomes, and ultimately better value for money.
Can the Minister indicate whether that is the Government’s long-term ambition?