Draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2022

Nigel Huddleston Excerpts

Wednesday 9th March 2022 General Committees

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2022.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Ms Elliott. The order is required so that the Government may continue to provide funding for the Churches Conservation Trust. The trust takes into its care some of the most impressive examples of our churches that are no longer required for regular worship. All these churches are listed—mostly grade I and grade II* —and some are scheduled ancient monuments.

Historic places of worship are a valuable and vital part of this nation’s heritage. Around 45% of all grade I listed buildings are Church of England churches or cathedrals. They represent some of the finest examples of our historic buildings and heritage, and showcase the most accomplished design and workmanship.

The trust currently cares for over 350 churches in towns, villages and cities across England, ranging from small hidden treasures to grand urban Victorian buildings. The churches the trust has saved are some of the finest examples of architecture and craftsmanship, spanning more than 1,000 years of history, architecture and archaeology. The trust keeps these buildings open to the public and does not charge an entry fee, instead believing that historic churches belong to everyone in the community.

The trust is a charity and was established by ecclesiastical legislation in 1969 as the Redundant Churches Fund, aimed at protecting an essential part of our heritage. It demonstrates a successful partnership between the Church, the Government and communities.

The trust’s strategy for 2019 to 2024 has seen an investment in staff to create the infrastructure to support local communities to use and love their historic church buildings. Those staff provide community support, learning, fundraising, conservation and maintenance expertise, and major project support, as well as funding.

The trust needs our funding, but it has not rested on its laurels and has increasingly made use of its statutory grant to raise new income from other sources, such as donations, legacies and grant-giving foundations. That independent income demonstrates great initiative, with a variety of activities helping to bring the CCT’s buildings back to life at a time of pressure on public funding.

Following the call from the Government to move offices from central London to areas outside the south-east, the trust will be taking the opportunity to highlight an innovative regeneration project in Northampton to create a new national office. The derelict grade II listed Old Black Lion in Northampton will be brought back to life as a pub to support the management and maintenance of St Peter’s church next door, while also becoming home to the CCT’s national team.

This year has seen the successful opening of two new church buildings by the CCT—St Peter’s, Tickencote, and St Nicholas, Gamston. Over £2 million of works have been undertaken to CCT buildings thanks to round 2 of the Heritage Stimulus Fund. This year will also see the vesting by the CCT of St Torney, North Hill, in Cornwall and St Wilfrid in Brougham. In addition, the major projects at St Swithun’s, Worcester, and Holy Trinity, Sunderland, have now completed construction, and these fully repaired and repurposed church buildings will be opening to their local communities shortly.

The trust has done a great job of diversifying its income and finances, and I will speak about just a couple of examples. One of its many initiatives is champing, or church camping, which is a scheme offering overnight stays in historic places of worship. The scheme, which began in 2015, continued to thrive in the 2020 season, as there is now a greater emphasis on UK-based breaks.

Filming has also been an important contributor to diversifying the CCT’s income streams, offering another creative route to supporting and conserving the estate. Over the last few years the organisation has facilitated film and TV productions from the BBC, Sky, HBO and Netflix across its sites. There remains considerable potential to attract more film and TV productions to the CCT estate.

The trust’s staff are award-winning experts in conservation when it comes to regenerating historic churches for new uses. The organisation also has an international reputation for innovation in the field of historic church buildings. In 2015, the CCT won the European Union prize for cultural heritage, the Europa Nostra award, in recognition of its role in promoting the architectural significance of historic places of worship and their essential function as centres of community life.

Consultancy work is also a positive income stream for the trust, working on projects with dioceses, churches and community groups, as well as new maintenance business initiatives. The trust is also participating in the management knowledge transfer partnership, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Membership of the trust has grown during the pandemic, predominantly through the Thursday lunch time lecture series, which has attracted more than 200,000 viewers to date. It has also created an online community of interest in the work of the CCT.

It was almost a year ago to the day that we sadly lost Peter Ainsworth, who died unexpectedly. Peter was a great chair of the CCT and a committed public servant who supported the charity through the first year of the global pandemic. He is greatly missed. After 15 years with the CCT and nearly five years as chief executive, Peter Aiers is leaving to become the 34th Master of the Charterhouse in London. Peter set up the successful regeneration team in the CCT, which has continued to innovate and deliver such projects as All Souls Bolton, St Mary at Quay, Ipswich, and the Old Black Lion. Peter also invented champing, which I referred to earlier, as a means of raising tourism income for the CCT, which has a worldwide audience now. He also put in place the current CCT strategy, and we thank him for his work and dedication.

I am extremely fortunate to have three CCT churches in my constituency: All Saints’ church in Spetchley, which is a 700-year-old church next to Spetchley Park and gardens; St Michael’s church, Churchill, which is an atmospheric church mainly from the 14th century; and St Lawrence’s church in Evesham, which is a large, imposing church rebuilt on Norman foundations in the 16th century. Those historic buildings remind us of communities of old, and the work of the Churches Conservation Trust means that they will be preserved for generations to come. They anchor us to our history and our communities in a way that we should never take for granted. I hope that the Committee shares my enthusiasm for the important work of the trust, and the key role that it plays in preserving and promoting a vital aspect of our nation’s heritage, and that it will consent to approve the Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2022, which provides for three years of funding to the trust.

--- Later in debate ---

[Nigel Huddleston]

I thank the hon. Member for Ogmore (Chris Elmore) for his contribution. I know that across the whole House we share a passion for heritage and concern about the future of our churches.

In answer to some of the points the hon. Gentleman raised, we always keep the funding for the Churches Conservation Trust under review. He is right that, unfortunately, as time goes by, more and more churches fall under the CCT remit. In an average year, about 20 churches are moved out of direct Church control, of which only about two or three fall into the CCT arena. Others go into private ownership or are renovated for other purposes, which itself generates income for the Church. The key point about funding is that we have been very impressed by the CCT’s ability to find savings of its own volition. We appreciate the efforts it has made and the pattern we both recognise of identifying additional income streams. We are always happy to engage with the Church and the CCT.

The hon. Gentleman talks about the wider implications of the number of people attending Church of England churches and other institutions. We are in constant dialogue with Churches through a variety of means. The Second Church Estates Commissioner, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) has a role in that respect. We frequently have conversations with him and we are always willing to offer help.

The Government’s funding for the CCT is an effective and successful part of the support we give to our heritage sector. The trust is fully committed to making sure that these remarkable buildings of cultural importance are still in good repair, and are open now and for many generations to come. I extend my grateful thanks to the trustees, the staff of the CCT, and the many volunteers up and down the country who ensure that the churches are open and welcoming.

It is thanks to the important work of the CCT that these historic buildings continue to thrive. Buildings looked after by the CCT across England are enjoyed as cultural, social, tourism and educational resources. They are kept open and in use, and are living once again in the heart of our communities. We thank them for that.

Question put and agreed to.