Kemi Badenoch pledges to reinstate church repair grant

The Tory leader said her party would “restore funding” for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which gave out funds to cover VAT on church repairs.

The Government recently announced the end of the scheme, which will be replaced by a new £92m Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

Mrs Badenoch said: “The Conservative Party will always celebrate our Christian heritage with deeds, not just words.

“This Easter, we want to ensure local churches are properly maintained and repaired so we’re announcing a plan to restore funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which the government has recently placed caps on.

“Churches matter. They aren’t just important places of worship, in many towns and villages they are the centre of the community and the pride of local people, often steeped in hundreds of years of history.

“It is critical we maintain them properly, because when they’re gone, this history and heritage could be lost forever.”

The Churches Conservation Trust said it supported the new scheme, with a spokesperson saying: “Announcement of the new scheme is a welcome step in what has been a time of uncertainly for those who care for historic churches.

“We await further news on how the new scheme will operate and what it will mean for CCT churches.”

This comes as over the last few years thousands of crimes have been recorded at churches and places of worship in Yorkshire, freedom of information requests from the Countryside Alliance have found.

Since 2022, arson attacks have been reported at churches in Riccall, Ilkley, Bradford and Kirkby Moorside.

In 2024, vandals smashed windows estimated to be five centuries old at St Mary’s Church in Thirsk, while at Bilton-in-Ainsty, in 2023, several historic items were stolen as well as lead from the roof, which later caused water to pour through the roof into the building.