The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
The big news of the week was the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant, announced that the Scheme is to be extended for another financial year from 1 April 2025, but with an annual limit of £25,000 on the amount that an individual place of worship can claim and a limit on the total fund of £23 million.
Which is rather better than half a loaf – but by no means as generous as the current Scheme. Last year, it returned £29 million in VAT refunds. The National Churches Trust, for one, was not impressed. If you wish to follow the history of the Scheme in greater detail, the House of Commons Library has produced a research briefing on VAT and churches.
Bishops in the House of Lords again
On Tuesday, Baroness Harman tabled a new Clause to the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill which, if enacted, would begin the process of removing the Lords Spiritual from the Upper House:
“After Clause 1, insert the following new Clause—
Proposals for removing the Lords Spiritual
1) The Secretary of State must, within two years of the day on which this Act is passed, lay before Parliament a paper setting out proposals to remove the membership of the Lords Spiritual from the House of Lords.
2) The paper must include, but is not limited to, proposals to—
(a) remove the Lords Spiritual from membership of the House of Lords,
(b) remove or replace the functions of the Lords Spiritual in the proceedings of the House of Lords, and
(c) lay provisions for consequential changes to legislation, standing orders and running of the House of Lords to be made following the removal of the Lords Spiritual.
3) Nothing in the proposals may prevent a person who is, or has been, a bishop or Archbishop of the Church of England from receiving, and exercising the entitlements under, a peerage for life in accordance with section 1 of the Life Peerages Act 1958.”
Charity Commission: safeguarding expectations ahead of C of E Synod votes
On 24 January, the Charity Commission issued a press release on its engagement with the Church of England over “the urgent need to improve its safeguarding arrangements” following the publication of the Makin Review and ahead of key debates at the Church’s General Synod. For those who were unable to access this important intervention via L&RUK yesterday, a link to our post is here.
Regulation of the funerals market
The Competition and Markets Authority has published a compliance checklist for funeral directors, CMA’s work in the funerals sector, to make sure that they are compliant with the requirements of the Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021. Areas covered by the guidance include rules for attended and unattended funerals, terms of business, disclosure of interests, prohibited practices and additional services such as the transfer of the deceased’s body to and from a home or place of worship.
Employment law cases to look out for in 2025
Lexology has posted a helpful survey by Jo Moseley and Alexandra Addington of Irwin Mitchell LLP of the most important employment cases that will come before the higher courts in 2025. On the conflict between belief and freedom of expression, they list:
- Higgs v Farmor’s School;
- Randall v Trent College;
- Corby v Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service;
- Miller v University of Bristol; and
- Lister v New College Swindon.
We have covered most of these in previous posts, and we’ll be watching out for the appeal judgments.
ICLARS upcoming webinar: Human Dignity, Religion and the Law
The first webinar of the ICLARS 2025 series will be held on Friday 7 February at 14.00 (UK). Human Dignity, Religion and the Law is one of two volumes arising from the 2022 ICLARS conference held in Córdoba. A number of contributors will be in conversation about their individual chapters and interconnecting issues concerning law and religion scholarship today more generally. Speakers will include:
- Professor Mark Hill KC, Introduction
- Professor María-José Valero-Estarellas, Discussant
- Professor Renata Uitz: A Secular Liberal Defence of Freedom of Religion: The Case for a Duty of Reasonable Accommodation
- Professor Burkhard J Berkmann: Legal Pluralism in German Scholarship: Its Application for Religious Freedom
- Professor Fernando Simon-Yarza: Conscientious Objection to Unconstitutional Duties: A Conceptual Trap
- Frank Cranmer: Reforming Weddings Law in England and Wales.
To register, please e-mail iclars@unimi.it and you will receive a link to the ICLARS Zoom platform shortly before the webinar.