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<p>While the primary responsibility for decisions on resourcing mission and ministry
rests with the dioceses, the Church Commissioners have provided an extra resource
to dioceses (distributed by The Archbishops’ Council) to support mission and ministry
in deprived communities in the form of Lowest Income Communities Funding. Across England,
£82.1m has been allocated by the Commissioners for this purpose in 2020-22. Recipient
dioceses are required to report on their use of this funding to The Archbishops’ Council
each year. The Diocese of Lichfield, which covers Walsall South, will receive over
£1.7m of this funding in 2021. In 2019, the diocese allocated some £200,000 of this
to support ministry and mission in parishes in Walsall.</p><p> </p><p>The dioceses
can also apply for Strategic Development Funding (SDF) for significant projects which
support their mission and financial strength, in line with their own strategies. The
criteria for this funding seeks to focus on areas of deprivation, and on work with
children and young people and within large urban areas. In 2019, £1.7million was awarded
to Lichfield Diocese to fund a project to enhance mission and ministry in Telford,
which includes some of the diocese’s most deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>A further
£35m Sustainability Funding has also been made available to help diocese whose income
has been reduced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding is focused on
those dioceses with fewer historic assets and whose populations have lower average
incomes. Grants worth £15m were made to 24 dioceses in 2020.</p>
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