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Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 4 September 2026. It was answered by Florence Eshalomi (Labour) on Thursday, 10 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Community Development: Religion

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what funding and support is available for joint faith infrastructure.

Answer

Interfaith relations are vital for strong, cohesive communities.

The Government is funding Inter Faith Week 2026, which provides a national platform for organisations and communities across England to come together, strengthen relationships between different faith and belief communities, and deliver joint interfaith activity. This funding supports the development of joint faith infrastructure by enabling organisations to collaborate and build connections through shared activity, including through a new microgrant scheme for grassroots organisations.

More broadly, the Government supports interfaith activity taking place in communities, including through programmes such as Near Neighbours and the Common Ground Resilience Fund. These programmes support local organisations to bring communities together, build relationships across faith and belief groups and strengthen community cohesion.

The Government continues to engage with the faith and belief sector as it considers the future of interfaith co-ordination in England, as faith is a devolved matter.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26532
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Community development Finance Religion
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk