English Heritage ‘must do more’ to help preserve old churches, says MP

SOUTH NORFOLK MP Richard Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, has called on English Heritage to do more to help congregations seeking to repair centuries-old church buildings.

Mr Bacon said:“Norfolk is lucky to have so many beautiful village churches but the passage of time makes these centuries-old buildings increasingly costly to maintain and repair.”

“English Heritage’s Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme can help congregations meet the cost of repairs, but there is a question mark over whether English Heritage needs to spend quite so much money providing technical advice to congregations and the architects they have employed.

“Surely it would be much more time and cost-effective to help churches to employ a suitably experienced architect from the beginning?

“English Heritage already works with bodies like the Ecclesiastical Architects’ and Surveyors’ Association and both the Church of England and the Methodist Church offer on-line advice on appointing architects.

“Local churches need to be made aware that help is available and English Heritage should be doing more to point congregations in the right direction from the start.”

Mr Bacon was speaking as the Commons public accounts committee published its report on making grants efficiently in the culture, media and sport sector.  In 2006–07, English Heritage awarded £24 million to 225 grant applicants to repair places of worship. English Heritage said that the high costs of awarding these grants reflected the high risk nature of the programme, which involved complex repairs to buildings up to 700 years old and sums of up to £200,000.

The report finds that, on average, English Heritage spent £9,700 to award a grant under its Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, and estimates that providing technical support to grant applicants from surveyors and architects  represents over half of the cost incurred.   

The Ecclesiastical Architects’ and Surveyors’ Association has almost 500 members and offers its expertise to English Heritage, Diocesan and other church authorities across all denominations. The Church of England has a dedicated ‘Churchcare’ website, offering advice on maintenance, repair and funding.  The Methodist Church’s website also offers advice on appointing architects.   

6 November 2008