Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to enable the completion of projects (a) partly and (b) fully funded through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme that are (i) soon-to-start and (ii) part of phased work commenced prior to the changes to that scheme.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme gives grants covering VAT costs only on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings used as places of worship.

Guidance has now been published on changes to the Scheme from 1 April 2025.

Listed places of worship with ongoing projects should ensure that all claims for work already carried out are submitted before or at 23:59 on 31 March 2025. They can submit invoices after this, but the £25,000 cap applies to all claims submitted from 00:00 on 1 April 2025 regardless of when the work was carried out.