Financial support for listed places of worship

The details of future financial support for listed places of worship continue to emerge in dribs and drabs. In reply to a written question from Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower, Lab) asking the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of recently announced changes to capital funding for places of worship on places of worship in Wales, the Minister of State, Ian Murray, said this:

“The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is focused solely on England because heritage policy is devolved. Future capital funding for Wales is supported through Barnett allocations, which provide proportional funding to the Welsh Government. As these funds are not ring-fenced, it is for the devolved administrations to determine how this funding is allocated and spent according to their priorities. Therefore, we do not plan to assess the impact of this capital funding for places of worship in Wales.

This contrasts with the previous Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), which operated UK-wide as a VAT-rebate scheme. Tax policy is not devolved. Continue reading →