Anxiety about the role of Christianity in today's society means the Government seeks to keep cathedrals "at arm's length", according to the Dean of York, the Very Rev Keith Jones.

In a strongly worded attack on policy, he said the Government failed to see the role of cathedrals as an "intrinsic part of our common life and responsibility" and failed to engage seriously on the issue, dismissing the Government's stance as "nonsense".

His comments are echoed by the Association of English Cathedrals, which represents England's 42 Anglican cathedrals. It has written to a committee of MPs claiming the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) "frequently ignores" cathedrals and churches while some museums are given grants allowing them to open for free.

This is despite St Paul's and Canterbury Cathedrals, Westminster Abbey and York Minster being among the top British visitor attractions, bringing in a total of £150m each year for local economies.

Instead, the association says they are forced to charge visitors so the buildings can be maintained, repaired and kept open. The position is all the more frustrating because the Treasury collects a slice of the entrance fee through VAT on ticket sales. Of the £5.50 York Minster entry fee, 82p goes to the Government.

Dean Jones told the Yorkshire Post: "There's such an anxiety about the role of the Christian religion (in particular) in the country's life these days, that the state shows signs of wanting to keep us at arm's length,".

"We are lumped together as 'faith groups', which are acknowledged as being valuable to the few who take part in them, but not as an intrinsic part of our common life and responsibility. This is nonsense.

"Christianity, whether you love it, hate it, or are indifferent, is a structural part of our nation, from the Queen to a host of institutions, and the very stuff
of our musical, literary, charitable, artistic and architectural culture.

"Cathedrals embody that, and it's ludicrous that anyone should think of them as the concern of a 'faith group'.

"They belong to us all, and we need a more serious engagement with Government about it."

In its evidence to a recent Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee investigation into tourism, the Association of English Cathedrals said: "It is our experience that the DCMS follows a largely secular agenda and frequently ignores cathedrals and churches in discharging its responsibilities, despite their significance as tourist attractions."

To illustrate its concern, it said the National Railway Museum in York was given a grant of £5.66m in 2005-6, which it said was equivalent to approximately £6.50 per visitor. York Minister received no help despite receiving 895,000 visits in a year, forcing it to charge visitors.

The association said: "Revenue grants that would enable cathedrals to provide free access to visitors would be very welcome and potentially extend the opportunity to less advantaged groups to experience what cathedrals have to offer." It also called for VAT on entrance fees to be cut or even dropped to make visits more affordable.

Last night City of York MP Hugh Bayley backed the call for Government funding for cathedrals, but questioned the claims about a secular policy.

"These buildings are as important to Britain as Tower Bridge or Edinburgh Castle," he said. "I don't think DCMS has a secular agenda. The Government does provide funding for historic churches, but not cathedrals, and I believe the remit should be extended to cathedrals."

However, the Government said cathedrals had benefited from significant Government and Lottery funding for many years. A DCMS spokesman said nearly £50m for urgent repairs had been given out in English Heritage grants since 1991, cathedrals could claim back the equivalent of VAT incurred in making repairs under another grant scheme and the Heritage Lottery Fund had given nearly £400m to religious buildings and monuments, including £10.5m for York Minster's restoration.

But she said VAT on entrance fees could not be reduced unless it was proposed by the European Commission, and said it "would not be appropriate" for the Government to fund cathedrals to enable them to stop charging entrance fees, without offering similar support to other historic buildings.

"Cathedrals are some of the best examples of the nation's built heritage, and play an important role in attracting visitors to our cities," she said.