The Government has said officials will be instructed to take the Church of England’s vast wealth into account before granting public funds for church repairs.

The decision follows lobbying of ministers by the NSS, which argued that taxpayers should not subsidise repairs while the Church holds vast financial reserves.

As recently as July, a religious organisation’s financial assets were “not considered” when receiving public money through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which funds repairs of religious buildings.

In a letter to the NSS, minister for gambling and heritage Baroness Twycross said she agreed the Church of England “has a role to play in supporting Listed Places of Worship with the cost of repairs”.

She will ask her officials to “consider this in the development of any future funding criteria”.

In July, the NSS wrote 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”.

While acknowledging the historical and architectural significance of religious buildings, the NSS highlighted how the Church is channelling its own funds towards evangelism rather than building repairs.

In 2023, the Church appeared to spend just £9.2m on repairs, compared with £38m on evangelism. The Church has set a goal of doubling the number of “young active disciples” by 2030.

The Church has an endowment of £11.1bn. Since 2010, the Government has granted nearly £350 million to listed places of worship through the scheme.

NSS welcomes decision

National Secular Society spokesperson Alejandro Sanchez said: “We’re encouraged by the Government’s recognition that a religious organisation’s assets should be taken into account when allocating public funds for repairs.

“Places of worship are an important part of our history and culture, but religious organisations must pay their fair share.

“With public finances increasingly squeezed, it’s right the Church is held to account for the upkeep of its buildings rather than unduly burdening the taxpayer.

“If the Church can afford to spend nearly £40m a year on evangelism, it can certainly afford to contribute more to repairs. Public money should not be subsiding the Church’s efforts to reverse its collapsing attendance rates.”