Finance (No. 4) Bill

Debate between Ben Bradshaw and Lord Soames of Fletching

Wednesday 18th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Ben Bradshaw (Exeter) (Lab)]

I rise to support new clause 7 in my name and those of several other right hon. and hon. Members.

The upkeep of our beautiful and historic buildings is vital to the preservation of Britain’s unique cultural heritage, and it is often done, particularly in the case of churches, thanks to tireless fundraising by volunteers. Raising VAT from 0% to 20% on alterations to our churches and other historic buildings, at the same time as the Government are making fundraising harder with their cap on philanthropy, represents a double whammy to our heritage sector and a dreadful blow to our historic churches—and cathedrals, in particular.

Our great churches and cathedrals are not just historic piles of bricks and mortar or even just places of worship for the few. They are among our most important tourist attractions, bringing thousands of overseas visitors to Britain every year, and well-run major churches and cathedrals, such as the stunning cathedral in Exeter, open their doors constantly to the local community and provide a vital public service. They are our greatest physical symbol of the big society.

I can think of countless occasions in Exeter—for example, a service of thanks for the work of the Royal Marines in Afghanistan, or a funeral for a local teenager tragically murdered—when the cathedral has been packed to the rafters with local people in celebration or in grief. It is a unique service not provided by any other institution.

[Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con)]

I wholly support the point that the right hon. Gentleman is making, and does he agree with me that the issue is about not just cathedrals, but small village churches with, in many cases, small congregations, who go to great efforts to raise large sums of money to make their facilities more usable for the rest of the community? Does he agree also that the proposed change is a pretty poor advertisement for the big society?

[Mr Bradshaw]

I absolutely agree.

The Government, in their consultation document, claim that the impact of the change on churches will be small, but that is not the case. Some 45% of grade I listed buildings in England are maintained by the Church of England, including 42 cathedrals. Their upkeep is incredibly expensive, and there are no central funds available for building maintenance.

A very large proportion of the alterations made to churches are about making them easier for the community to use, including, for example, installing disabled toilets, kitchens and so on, but the charge will also hit traditional skills and crafts, such as bell hanging and organ building. About £100 million is spent on those works annually, and imposing 20% VAT on them will add £20 million a year to those bills. In reality, much of the work will simply stop, and that will hit local churches, local communities and the building trade—and it will not raise a single extra penny for the Treasury.

The Prime Minister said earlier today at Prime Minister’s questions that the Government would be giving churches the money that they need to make up the loss, but that is also not the case. The compensation being offered in the Budget by extending the listed places of worship grant scheme, which currently refunds the VAT liable on repairs, is a wholly inadequate way to meet the extra cost that the VAT rise will create.

The Government have already cut the listed places of worship grant scheme by a massive two thirds, from £23 million to £7 million a year, and it already covers less than half the cost of current repairs.