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<p>The National Church Institutions do not hold statistics on outstanding repairs
for parish churches, collectively or by diocese.</p><p>The Church Commissioners and
Archbishops' Council have agreed funding of £11 million for 2023-25 in support of
Buildings for Mission, which includes £2m for places of worship maintenance/repairs,
and funding for up to 20 support officers to work with communities on the care of
their church buildings. This is alongside a one-off commitment of £190 million (over
nine years) to support the whole Church, including its buildings, in the transition
towards Net Zero 2030.</p><p>12,500 church buildings are listed, with 45% of all England's
Grade I listed buildings being cathedrals and churches. The average annual cost for
the maintenance and repairs to parish churches alone is estimated at £150 million,
and the maintenance of our churches across the country is mostly financed by generous
local donors and volunteers. Support and advice, including on available grants, is
available from ChurchCare: <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare"
target="_blank">https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare(opens in a new
tab)</a></p><p>The Church remains grateful for the continuation of the Listed Places
of Worship Grant Scheme as it was for the Culture Recovery Fund. Money invested in
church buildings has positive benefits to the wider community: the 2021 House of Good
report by the National Churches Trust (<a href="https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/"
target="_blank">https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/(opens in a new
tab)</a>) found that "the annual social and economic value of church buildings
to the UK is worth around £55 billion. This sum, calculated using the latest HM Treasury
Green Book guidance, includes the contribution churches make to wellbeing and to local
economies."</p><p>By means of an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration
Bill in the House of Lords, the Government has recently agreed to make it clear that
churches are legally able to access Local Authority grant funding. This clarification
is very welcome and comes in response to many years of advocacy by church, heritage
and Local Authority groups. The removal of ambiguity means that Local Authorities
and parish councils in England will enable seed funding to repair, restore and upgrade
facilities, helping churches to continue to serve their local communities as worship
spaces, community hubs, and through social action projects.</p><p>The Church is committed
to engaging with the Government on the implementation of the recommendations of the
2017 Taylor Review into the sustainability of church buildings (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-taylor-review-sustainability-of-english-churches-and-cathedrals"
target="_blank">The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals
- GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)</a>)</p>
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