The Bishop of Bristol, Viv Faull, and the Bishop of Ramsbury, Andrew Rumsey, who are the Church of England's joint lead bishops on church buildings, have issued the following comment in response to the written statement today from Sir Chris Bryant, Heritage Minister, on the Listed Places of Worship grants scheme:
"We welcome the announcement today of the 12-month extension to the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme. We are pleased that this will bring temporary relief to many small-scale projects already under way or anticipated in the near future, though the capping of the scheme will pose challenges to larger projects.
"We look forward to continued close working with the faith and charity buildings sector, and the Government, towards more secure funding in the long term for these buildings that are so crucial to their communities.
"We are pleased that the Heritage Minister has made such a generous tribute to the role of our churches and cathedrals in the life of the nation and we are grateful for all the work that has been done by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
"We are also deeply grateful to all those MPs who have campaigned so hard for the renewal of the scheme. We will continue to press for it to be made permanent beyond March 2026.
"The scheme has been a lifeline for our buildings since it was first introduced in 2001 by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown. Our churches and cathedrals are of priceless historical and cultural significance as well as being centres of spiritual and practical support to their communities."
Marsha de Cordova MP, the Second Church Estates Commissioner said: "Churches up and down the country are a cornerstone of their communities, providing social support alongside spiritual leadership.
"I welcome the Government's announcement to extend the Listed Places of Worship grant scheme for a further 12 months, having listened to colleagues across all sides of the House of Commons.
"Going forward, it is vital that a long-term solution is reached for some of the country's most important community buildings and that this scheme is made permanent."
The full statement from the DCMS can be found here.