BY : Staff Writer Christian Today
Church leaders in Scotland have welcomed news that a £1 million fund is to be made available to cover the cost of repairs to listed buildings in Scotland.
The maintenance and repair of historic churches has become an issue of increasing concern since Labour announced it would be bringing an end to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS) earlier this year.
Although a successor scheme has been established, it has a lower budget and it no longer exempts historic churches from VAT on repair work.
At the time of the announcement, the then Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rev Rosie Frew, warned the end of the scheme threatened the future viability of church properties. Just this week it was announced that a centuries old cathedral had passed out of church hands due to financial difficulties.
The newly announced Scotland Places of Worship Fund, set at £1 million, will allows religious groups to recover VAT costs on repair works to a listed building in which they worship. The fund forms a part of the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) grants budget.
The new fund has been welcomed by both the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland.
The Rt Rev Gordon Kennedy, current Moderator of Church of Scotland, said, “I’m very grateful for the support of HES and the Scottish Government in recognising the importance of places of worship, which are so often cherished by people beyond members of the congregation.
“We know how difficult it is for communities to lose their place of worship and support for repairs and maintenance will help keep more places warm, wind and watertight, and it makes it just a wee bit easier for local volunteers to care for these historic assets.”
His thoughts were echoed by Bishop John Keenan, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, who said, “We warmly welcome Historic Environment Scotland’s announcement of the Places of Worship Fund pilot for Scotland, which recognises the vital contribution that churches and other places of worship make to Scotland’s heritage and community life.
“The fund will provide much-needed support for the care and conservation of these important buildings, helping to address the loss of the previous UK-wide scheme.”
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