Clarification of legislation confirms that churches can now apply for grants from their parish and town councils. The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill, which received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, has been amended to make clear that parish and town councils can provide financial support to churches for repairs and improvements. There have been calls for some time for amendments to be made to the law due to the original language being ambiguous and preventing churches from making applications. The amendment was introduced after The Right Reverend Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol, highlighted the need for clarification of the law during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
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Revd Stephen Trott of Pitsford with Boughton has long been lobbying, along with others, for changes to the bill and said of the recent announcement, ‘It is extraordinary good news for churches which stand in the area of a parish council, since this will remove any doubt that they are able to seek parish council funding like any other community organisation within the parish, both for buildings and for their activities as an organisation embracing residents of the parish.’
Following the policy of achieving Net Zero by 2030, this amendment is very timely as many churches are looking into ways that they can make changes to use less energy and emit less carbon and this may provide an opportunity to seek funding to achieve this.