Asked by: Alison Taylor (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to allow an hon. Member's office to be the accountable body for Town of Culture bids for 2028 when the Local Authority is not willing to participate in the bid process.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are delighted by the interest and excitement there has been in the UK Town of Culture competition. The competition has now closed and there has been strong interest from many places right across the UK.
Local authority participation is important as it will be critical for delivery. That is why published criteria stated ‘We expect bids to be from a partnership for your bidding place and include the relevant local authorities.’
Asked by: Alison Taylor (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency; and if she will make it her policy to review that Scheme beyond March 2025.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since 2022, the Department has awarded 9 grants, totalling £67,674.80 to Listed Places of Worship in the constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire.
As announced in January, the Scheme has been extended for one year with a budget of £23 million, until 31 March 2026, the end of this Spending Review period. This will enable religious organisations to continue to claim grants in respect of eligible VAT costs paid towards repairs and renovations. The scheme has an overall budget of £23 million with a cap of £25,000 per place of worship.