Covid-19: Museums, Galleries and Historic Buildings Debate
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Lord Bishop of Portsmouth
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Covid-19: Museums, Galleries and Historic Buildings
Lord Bishop of Portsmouth Excerpts(4 years, 6 months ago)
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The Lord Bishop of Portsmouth
My Lords, the Church of England alone has 16,000 church buildings, over 12,000 of which are listed. We are at the bedrock of our communities and thus can be at the heart of recovery. I therefore make three points. First, we are rich in assets, but the pandemic means that income is plummeting, and budgets were already tight. I therefore urge the Government at least to remove VAT on repairs to historic buildings.
Secondly, government often brackets us with the hospitality industry. Are we hospitable? I hope so. Are we historic? Yes. Does such categorisation meet our distinct needs? No.
Thirdly, the Church encompasses buildings and people. Our impact on people will define us, so how we respond pastorally to the pandemic from our buildings will leave the deepest impression.