by Alice Lilley, Telegraph
‘Lifeline’ for historic buildings removed after scheme offering VAT relief on repairs closes six weeks early
Labour has been accused of leaving churches to crumble after taxpayer funding ran out.
A Government repair scheme ran out of money six weeks before the end of the financial year, leaving churches “in the lurch”, according to the National Churches Trust (NCT).
Historic churches across Britain now face a six-week gap in the funding needed to secure roofs and prevent historic buildings from “falling down”.
Clergy and heritage groups have told how they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme closed six weeks before it was due to expire on March 31.
Sir Philip Rutnam, chairman of the NCT, said: “This leaves potentially hundreds of churches in the lurch.
“After 25 successful years, the Government has removed a lifeline for churches which was introduced by a Labour chancellor in 2001, allowing them to reclaim VAT on repairs.”
‘Thousands of churches at risk’
The funding gap has left some churches scrambling to raise additional money. A church in Tong, Shropshire, has had to fundraise £63,000 to restore six medieval tombs.
A spokesman for Grade I-listed St Bartholomew’s Church said it had been “very hard” and that it still needed to raise £6,000 before March 31 because VAT is now being applied to repair costs.
The church said that its donors were unhappy to contribute to any church projects which involved the payment of VAT, based on the fact that 20 per cent of it will be going to the Government.
The donors said they already paid tax on their money once and would not be paying any more.
“With thousands of churches at risk, this is yet another blow to our national heritage as many will now be unable to pay for urgent repairs,” Sir Philip added.