My Lords, I am pleased to speak to my Amendments 485, 505, 510 and 512. I thank the Government for making time so soon after the conclusion of the debate on Monday. I declare my interests as a board member of the Church Commissioners, as set out in the register, and as the Church of England’s lead bishop for church buildings. Noble Lords will also recall the debate on Amendment 163, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, which took place earlier in Committee on 15 March.
I tabled these four amendments to clarify the issue of local authority funding responsibilities for all Christian churches, including parish churches. The Bill affords the opportunity to bring much-needed clarity to this issue and resolve a long-standing problem. I am delighted to say that these amendments have received strong cross-party support, and I am particularly grateful to the noble Lords, Lord Cormack and Lord Best, and the noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, for acting as sponsors. The noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, is unable to be in her place today, but I am assured of her continued support for these amendments.
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I am pleased to say that these amendments also have the backing of the Church in Wales, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and the Methodist Church, among others. The National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks are supportive, as are many in the heritage sector. Last June, I had the pleasure of meeting the right honourable Robert Jenrick MP, who, as a former Secretary of State for Communities, made clear his personal support prior to returning to government in a different role.
Parish churches are vital to the flourishing of their local communities. The Warm Welcome campaign, for instance, saw millions benefit from spaces for relationships, community building and practical support over the last hard winter period. Clarifying the current confusion in law would help local churches continue to play such an important role in their areas.
In many parts of the country, churches are the only community buildings open and available to all. The National Churches Trust’s House of Good report, published in 2021-22, estimated the social and economic contribution of UK Church buildings across all generations to be £55 billion, using the Treasury’s own
calculations. It found that investing £l in a Church project returned £16 of community benefit—not a bad return on investment.
My amendments would remove the prohibition on parish councils funding places of worship in the Local Government Act 1894, which conflicts with the Local Government Act 1972 and the Localism Act 2011. This causes local councils to be reluctant to grant aid to places of worship, for fear of legal challenge. To reassure the Committee, the Localism Act enables all faith communities to apply for grant funding.
Specifically, my Amendment 485 would insert a new clause to remove the prohibition concerning churches and ecclesiastical charities in Section 8(1)(i) of the Local Government Act 1894. It would ensure that local authorities’ spending power under Section 8(1)(k) could be used to make grants to places of worship. Consequently, Amendment 505 would provide for this new clause to extend to England and Wales. Amendment 510 would provide for the new clause to come into force two months after the Bill receives Royal Assent, and Amendment 512 would amend the Bill’s Long Title to include reference to the new clause’s subject matter.
I turn to the Minister’s letter to all Peers of 27 January 2023. She will be aware that I wrote to her in response on 21 February and thanked her for her reply, but I feel that a few clarifications need to be put on the record for the Committee. The Minister mentioned in her letter that the current set of laws applies solely to Church of England parishes. However, it is worth noting that the scope of Church buildings impacted extends beyond those in the Church of England. Indeed, evidence collected by the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance shows that the ban on local council funding is also being applied to other Christian denominations. The Minister also said in her letter that there is limited evidence that this is an issue. I urge her to consider the case studies that the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance sent to her on 15 February and the lengthy correspondence that her department has had on this matter with the Church of England over many years.
Finally, the Minister mentioned in her letter to Peers that only the courts are empowered to give an authoritative interpretation of the law. I am sure she will accept that the cost of bringing a legal case will be prohibitive to a parish. In contrast, the minor change these amendments seek to make would resolve the question of interpretation simply and effectively, without the necessity for such action.
Meanwhile, church buildings continue to lose out on an important funding opportunity, with negative consequences for our national heritage and for the communities they serve. Those who give their time and resources to support their parish are too often unsung heroes who should be thanked for their continued generosity. These are important community buildings, over 12,000 of which are of particular historic interest. I stress that this proposal would place no new funding obligation on local authorities; my amendments would not entail any additional cost or demand on them or on His Majesty’s Government.
In closing, I thank the parish councils team in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who have been in touch with officials at the Church of
England’s National Church Institutions to indicate that the Government are exploring their options following the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance consultation. I hope the Minister will be able to be more forthcoming with details.
I very much look forward to hearing the contributions of other noble Lords on these amendments. I beg to move.