Public funding should not automatically go to places of worship when religious institutions can fund them themselves, the National Secular Society has told a minister.
The NSS has written to local government minister Jim McMahon urging the Government to ensure “any financial assistance for maintaining places of worship is contingent upon clear financial necessity, rather than being granted automatically”.
The letter follows increased lobbying from religious interest groups to make the Government’s Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme permanent and increase its budget.
In January, the Government announced the scheme had been extended for one year and capped at £23 million, and that individual places of worship were legible for a maximum of £25,000.
In a Westminster Hall debate this month, McMahon said that the limits placed on the scheme were “due to the difficult fiscal circumstances that this Government inherited”.
Since 2010, the Government has granted nearly £350 million to listed places of worship through the grant scheme.
CofE funds evangelism over church repairs
In its letter, the NSS said that while it recognises “the historical and architectural significance of many listed places of worship”, it is “essential” that public funding prioritises the broader community’s interests.
It said that while many places of worship have a positive impact on communities, it is equally important to recognise that secular community groups “also provide significant benefits but often face financial challenges and lack strong representation in Parliament to advocate for their needs”.
The NSS highlighted that the Church Commissioners for England, which manages the Church of England’s finances, oversees an endowment fund of around £10 billion that was originally established to provide support for parishes. The CofE holds billions in diocese, cathedral and parish church councils.
Yet according to the Commissioners’ 2023 annual report, only £153 million was spent on “supporting dioceses and the local church”. Just £9.2 million of this appeared to be directed towards repairs to churches.
In contrast, £38 million was allocated to the Church’s ‘Diocesan Investment Programme’, the primary focus of which is to “develop mission” and promote evangelism.
The Commissioners also spent several million on maintaining bishops’ and archbishops’ housing and office premises.
The NSS said the Church’s “significant” financial resource should be utilised to maintain churches and associated properties rather than relying on taxpayer-funded grants.
NSS: Government should “robustly scrutinise” religious organisations’ assets before awarding grants
NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: “Financial burdens should not be placed on the taxpayer whilst religious institutions fail to meet their responsibilities.
“In recent years the Church of England, one of the largest landowners and wealthiest institutions in the country, has directed significant sums of money towards various evangelism initiatives.
“The prioritisation of such efforts over the maintenance of historic buildings suggests the Church has the capacity to sustain its places of worship independently, but prefers taxpayers to do so.
“We therefore urge the Government to robustly scrutinise religious organisations’ assets and other sources of funding when making decisions over spending, and to minimise unnecessary burden on the taxpayer where those responsible for maintaining places of worship have the available assets to fund their own repairs.”