Conservatives pledge to restore support for places of worship this Easter

The Conservatives are today [Saturday 4th April] announcing a plan to restore funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to pre-Labour levels, alongside plans to abolish the cap on repair claims introduced under Labour's policies.

At a time of renewal and reflection during Easter, the Conservatives are warning that Labour's cuts have left many historic churches and places of worship facing an uncertain future. Labour reduced the scheme's annual budget from £42 million to £23 million and imposed a £25,000 cap on individual claims for the first time.

These decisions have forced many congregations to delay or cancel essential repairs, increasing long-term costs, damaging historic buildings and placing the nation's cultural heritage at serious risk. Churches and places of worship are at the heart of community life. Under this government many have been left struggling to maintain safe and welcoming spaces.

Estimates suggest that nearly 1,000 places of worship are currently at risk due to neglect. At a time when communities come together to celebrate Easter, this highlights the growing threat to buildings that provide not only spiritual guidance but also vital local support and connection.

A future Conservative government will restore the scheme's funding to its previous level and remove Labour's cap on repair claims. In addition, Conservatives will develop a longer-term approach to ensure sustainable support for historic places of worship, encouraging investment and safeguarding these important community assets for future generations.

These changes will be funded through a reprioritisation of grant distributions across Arm's Length Bodies within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ensuring that funding is better aligned with the priorities of the British people.

Kemi Badenoch MP, Leader of the Conservative Party, said:

“Churches aren't just important places of worship, in many towns and villages they are the centre of the community, steeped in history and the pride of local people. It is critical we maintain them properly, because when they're gone they're lost forever.

“That is why it is appalling that this Labour government has slashed the fund for the upkeep of our churches. Keir Starmer often appears to be ashamed of Britain's history. I'm clear that the Conservative Party will always celebrate our Christian heritage and ensure local churches are properly maintained and repaired.”

Nigel Huddleston MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said:

“Labour's catastrophic decision to slash the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and impose a cap on repairs is already endangering historic churches and community hubs. These are buildings that tell our national story and support people every day. The previous scheme ran out of funding and while Labour has promised a replacement, they have failed to provide any detail on what comes next.

“Under the Conservatives, this scheme protected hundreds of churches and places of worship across the country. Labour's reckless cuts have created damaging uncertainty, forced vital repairs to be delayed and left many buildings facing further decay.

“Only the Conservatives will restore funding to pre-Labour levels, scrap Labour's punishing cap and give places of worship the certainty they need to protect our heritage, support local jobs and continue serving their communities.”

Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust, said:

“We believe the time has come to stop making historic places of worship pay VAT on repairs. Their care depends on local volunteers who are demoralised by seeing 20% of the funds they raise go to the Treasury as VAT. Already, 1 in 20 churches say they don't know if they will be around for the next five years and a 20% additional tax bill is likely to accelerate closures. MPs of all parties know how vital this is to the churches in their constituencies; we welcome the commitment to restore VAT relief which will help keep churches open and in use.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Labour slashed the scheme's annual budget from £42 million to £23 million and imposed a £25,000 cap on individual claims. The Government reduced the Listed Places of Worship claim to £23 million for the financial year 2025-26, and introduced a new cap of £25,000. This has almost been halved from £42 million in 2024-25 (DCMS, Press Release, 22 January 2025, link; Exemption from VAT (Listed Places of Worship) Bill, Explanatory notes, 27 March 2025,link).

Almost a thousand churches and places of worship are at risk:

• According to Historic England, 986 places of worship are at risk. According to Historic England, 986 places of worship are at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay, or inappropriate development (Historic England, Heritage at Risk: Latest Findings, 6 November 2025, link).

The previous Conservative Government took action to protect the nation's churches: 

• Under the Conservatives, the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme provided funding to cover VAT on essential repairs. To support churches, the previous Conservative Government provided grants covering VAT on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings being used as places of worship (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Press Release, 22 December 2023, link; Department for Culture Media and Sport, The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, accessed 19 December 2024, link).

• Between 2010 and 2024, the previous Conservative Government returned £346 million to listed places of worship. Since 2010, the Places of Worship Fund has invested £346 million in listed churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. The fund provides grants towards the VAT incurred on eligible costs, such as works to the roofs, masonry and monuments integral to the buildings (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Press Release, 22 December 2023, link).