Places of Worship Renewal Fund

6. What discussions the Church has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the planned timetable for the introduction of the places of worship renewal fund.

It is good to see my hon. Friend back in his place after his injury. I understand that he was running with his children when it happened.

Blame the kids!

He couldn’t keep up with his children, obviously! [Laughter.] Apologies, Mr Speaker.

The new places of worship renewal fund will be managed by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The fund totals £92 million over four years and will support capital repairs to listed places of worship. Priority will be given to buildings in areas of high deprivation or community need. Applications are expected to start with an expression of interest, followed by a full application, with efforts made to minimise administrative burdens on smaller parishes.

I thank my hon. Friend for her answer. Church leaders in Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket are rightly concerned about the cancellation of the listed places of worship grant scheme. Will the Church Commissioner outline what conversations she has had with the Government regarding the support and guidance given to those people who are concerned with the upkeep of churches in my constituency and across the country? It is surely for our generation to preserve the legacy bequeathed to us by our forefathers.

I can confirm that I have met colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on numerous occasions, most recently the Minister for Heritage just before Easter recess. We are still waiting for the Government to publish more detail on this vital scheme. As I said in my meeting with the Minister, I urge the Government to get on and publish that detail at pace so that we can give our churches certainty. In the meantime, while we await the guidance, my hon. Friend’s constituency churches can reach out to their diocesan Church Buildings Council adviser for further advice, support and guidance on this issue.

You will be aware, Mr Speaker, that Lib Dems are great at fixing the church roof. In Sturminster Marshall, the community is going further with Project Welcome, which will repair and modernise the space, creating a warm, safe and accessible church that is integral to the community. However, the closure of the listed places of worship grant scheme means that costs have gone through the roof. The community has raised £275,000 of a £360,000 target, which, without the VAT, they would have achieved. Can the hon. Lady confirm whether projects already under way will be eligible for the renewal scheme?

I will just put it on the record that we are all, across the House, keen advocates for our local churches; we recognise that they are the cornerstones of our community, so we are all hugely supportive of efforts to fix roofs, or whatever needs to be done to them. The hon. Lady highlights an important point about the scheme, and I will be happy to write to her about it.