Church of England cathedrals could be forced to charge for entry or face closure

Apr 24, 2017 by

by Rachel Middleton, IB Times:

Anglican cathedrals in the country are facing a “new scale and depth” of challenge to stay afloat and keep their doors open as public funding dries up and the costs of running and maintaining the buildings continue to soar.

Adrian Newman, the Bishop of Stepney and the chairman of the Cathedrals Working Group, set up to look at financing and management, has warned that only nine of the total 42 cathedrals charge for entry – but that could change as their financial difficulties worsen.

Westminster Abbey charges £20 per adult for entry and 85% of its visitors are foreigners. Many other cathedrals, however, are reluctant to charge.

Durham Cathedral’s dean, Andrew Tremlett, said: “There is a sense that this is a people’s cathedral. It’s not a simple thing to charge for entrance when you’re serving a community.”

The working group will meet for the first time in early May to review the governance and financial management of the cathedrals in England, the Guardian reported. The group, which includes politicians such as Jack Straw, is expected to report in December.

The cathedral deans will meet in London this week.

“Over the course of the last 100 years, there has never been a time when the cathedral sector has been riding on the crest of a wave,” Newman said.

“The challenges are not new but we’re looking at a new scale and depth at the moment.”

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