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A briefing on sources of funding - both public and private - for places of worship in the United Kingdom, often for repairs and renovation.
A briefing on sources of funding - both public and private - for places of worship in the United Kingdom, often for repairs and renovation.
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what were the dates of any determinations made by the Church Commissioners in accordance with its duty under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 during the last ten years; what were the amounts of income determined on...
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what were the dates of any determinations made by the Church Commissioners in accordance with its duty under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 during the last ten years; what were the amounts of income determined on...
The determinations of the Church Commissioners distributions are made in General Meetings. The dates of the relevant meetings are set out in the table below.
| Year | Date |
| 2026 | 4 June |
| 2025 | 19 June and 27 November |
| 2024 | 13 June |
| 2023 | 8 June |
| 2022 | 23 June |
| 2021 | 25 November (later than usual due to Covid restrictions) |
| 2020 | None (Covid restrictions prevented a meeting) |
| 2019 | 26 June |
| 2018 2017 | 27 June 28 June |
The allocation of funds available for distribution is made in a ‘money available resolution’ which is included in the Church Commissioners’ statutory annual report and accounts for each year. Copies of the annual report and supporting documents, which include the details of the total grant made to the Archbishops’ Council, are available in the UK Parliament Library and on the Church of England and Charity Commission websites
An analysis of the legal powers under which grants to the Archbishops’ Council were made up to the end of 2023 were provided in previous answers issued to the Hon Member for East Wiltshire, specifically written questions UIN 52344 and UIN 19811. Figures for 2024 and 2025 can be found in the annual certificates provided to the Church Commissioners by the Council which are available on the home page of the Archbishops’ Council’s website: 2024-certificate-signed.pdf and AC(26)46_A6 2025 certificate signed.pdf
Recent money available resolutions have analysed the planned expenditure into four categories: historical, transformational time-limited, core in-perpetuity distributions and strategic on-going additional distributions. The supporting papers prepared to aid the charity trustees in their decision making provides additional detail of how the funds are planned to be distributed across a range of expenditure categories all of which are in line with one or more of the powers under which the Church Commissioners are able to distribute funds.
Each year at one of its trustee meetings, the Church Commissioners consider the annual certificate provided by the Archbishops’ Council stating how the funds provided to the Council by the Commissioners have been distributed. This now covers funds provided under section 1 of the Miscellaneous Provisions Measure 2018 as well as under section 2(3) of the National Institutions Measure 1998. In addition to this, the Commissioners receive and discuss reports on specific areas such as safeguarding and the grants made to support parish mission and ministry.
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, if she will (a) publish the amounts certified under subsection 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 for each year since that provision came into force and (b) place copies of the annual statutory certificates issued to the Church...
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, if she will (a) publish the amounts certified under subsection 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 for each year since that provision came into force and (b) place copies of the annual statutory certificates issued to the Church...
The Church Commissioners will be able to publish the 2024 certificate after the annual general meeting on the 19th June, when the Church Commissioners' annual report will be published and laid in the House of Commons Library. The Commissioners have committed to publishing certificates from 2024 onwards on the Church of England website, but are unable to publish the retrospective information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.
Recent copies of the Church Commissioners' annual report state which grants have been made to the Archbishops’ Council. In the 2023 annual report, this information can be found on page 101 (the-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2023_1.pdf).
Many of the older reports are available online at: Publications | The Church of England.
The complete collection of annual reports is available from the House of Commons Library.
Further details can also be found in recent Archbishops’ Council annual reports, at: Archbishops’ Council | The Church of England (scroll down). In the most recent 2023 annual report, the additional information is located on pages 68-75, where the Church Commissioners' funding provided the majority of the Archbishops’ Council's charitable expenditure.
To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how much (a) the Church Commissioners distributed to and (b) was certificated by the Archbishops’ Council under section 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 in each year since 1998; and how much was granted by the Church Commissioners pursuant...
To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how much (a) the Church Commissioners distributed to and (b) was certificated by the Archbishops’ Council under section 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 in each year since 1998; and how much was granted by the Church Commissioners pursuant...
Section 1 of the Miscellaneous Provisions Measure 2018 (“the 2018 power”) came into force on 1 March 2019 and has only been used for grants made since the start of 2020. Between the Archbishops' Council’s inception at the start of 1999 and the end of 2019 all grants from the Commissioners to the Council were made under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 (“the 1998 power”).
Since the start of 2020 some grant streams clearly fit under the 1998 power (e.g. Lowest Income Communities Funding) and others have been made using the 2018 power (e.g. support for the Parish Giving Scheme and the energy cost support provided to parishes through dioceses in 2022).
Other grant streams (e.g. the Diocesan Investment Programme) fall within the broader provisions of the 2018 power, but some or all aspects of individual grants may also fall within the 1998 power. It has not been possible to ascertain which proportion of each such grant falls within the scope of the 1998 power. The table below states the total of grants that were entirely within the scope of the 1998 power (which would also have been possible under the much broader 2018 power), those made under the 2018 power only, and those which were partially covered by the 1998 Measure and entirely covered by the 2018 Measure (which are not mutually exclusive).
Church Commissioners’ grants to Archbishops' Council | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| £m | £m | £m | £m |
1998 Measure | 49.6 | 43.5 | 37.9 | 33.5 |
2018 Measure | 17.2 | 20.1 | 38.3 | 38.0 |
Partially covered under 1998 Measure Entirely covered by 2018 Measure (not mutually exclusive) | 28.0 | 25.7 | 52.0 | 81.4 |
Total | 94.8 | 89.3 | 128.2 | 152.9 |
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Source: Church Commissioners annual report and accounts exclusive of discount applied to multi-year grants.
The Archbishops’ Council provide the Commissioners with an annual certificate under section 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998. There are some differences between the amounts in the annual certificate and the amounts in the Commissioners’ accounts due to differing rounding, accounting policies and the discount factors applied to multiyear grants.
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to paragraphs 577 to 579 of the Review of the Independent Safeguarding Board, dated 30 November 2023, whether the commissioners have had recent discussions with the Archbishops' Council on the potential for lessons to be learned...
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to paragraphs 577 to 579 of the Review of the Independent Safeguarding Board, dated 30 November 2023, whether the commissioners have had recent discussions with the Archbishops' Council on the potential for lessons to be learned...
The Church Commissioners have not held such discussions with the Archbishops’ Council.
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the commissioners have had discussions with the Archbishops' Council on the potential impact of recommendations from case reviews commissioned by the interim commissioner of independent reviews on earlier cases.
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the commissioners have had discussions with the Archbishops' Council on the potential impact of recommendations from case reviews commissioned by the interim commissioner of independent reviews on earlier cases.
The Archbishops' Council commissioned the Interim Commissioner of Independent Reviews to undertake discussions with survivors who had been promised reviews by the former Independent Safeguarding Board, about the terms of reference for reviewing their cases. At the request of survivors, the number in discussion with the Interim Commissioner will be kept confidential, given that the number of survivors promised a review by the ISB is relatively small and there is a possibility of identifying individuals.
At present no reviews have been commissioned, though some are in the final stages of consideration. The timetable will depend on the terms of reference and agreements with individual survivors, and the Interim Commissioner is taking care to ensure that each review is adequate to the particular circumstances of the case.
The recent review into the events leading to the termination of contracts of the members of the Independent Safeguarding Board – the Wilkinson Report – identified lessons learned on how recommendations from all case reviews are taken forward, which will be discussed at the forthcoming February meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England.
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to Section 1(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 and the statement on page six of the Archbishops’ Council Annual Report 2022 that the Council was established under the National Institutions Measure 1998 to provide focus...
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to Section 1(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 and the statement on page six of the Archbishops’ Council Annual Report 2022 that the Council was established under the National Institutions Measure 1998 to provide focus...
The Church Commissioners have not made such an assessment.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have the authority to make grants to the Archbishop's Council.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have the authority to make grants to the Archbishop's Council.
The powers conferred by the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2018 enable the Church Commissioners to make grants to the Archbishops' Council which the Council may spend in accordance with its own functions. Such funding should support proposals designed to make a significant contribution to the growth of the Church and proposals should only be funded if they are within the priorities identified by the Council and in accordance with a clearly defined policy framework. The Commissioners’ approved policy is set out in full in the document attached at annex A. In addition to the power under the 2018 Measure, the Church Commissioners have a number of other miscellaneous powers to make grants to the Council in support of work with the Council supports, such as grants given for diocesan ministry support.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to her oral contribution of 28 March 2019, Official Report on the Archbishop's Council's Strategic Development Fund, whether it follows Scottish Natural Heritage's Biodiversity Duty Guidance and Advice in its forestry estates in Scotland.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to her oral contribution of 28 March 2019, Official Report on the Archbishop's Council's Strategic Development Fund, whether it follows Scottish Natural Heritage's Biodiversity Duty Guidance and Advice in its forestry estates in Scotland.
All forests managed by the Church Commissioners conform to the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme (UKWAS) and the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS), and have Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. The FSC is recognised by WWF as the “hallmark of responsible forest management”. The Church Commissioners are not required to report under the Scottish Natural Heritage's ‘Biodiversity Duty Guidance and Advice in its forestry estates in Scotland’, as this applies only to public bodies.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the Commissioners have made of the level of funding for the Archbishops’ Council's strategic development fund.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the Commissioners have made of the level of funding for the Archbishops’ Council's strategic development fund.
The Church Commissioners vote annually on the availability of strategic development funding. The funding is a 10-year programme, and the £270 million of overall funding for the programme that was agreed in 2016 is to be sustained over the period.
The Church Commissioners vote annually on the availability of strategic development funding. The funding is a 10-year programme, and the £270 million of overall funding for the programme that was agreed in 2016 is to be sustained over the period.
The Church Commissioners vote annually on the availability of strategic development funding. The funding is a 10-year programme, and the £270 million of overall funding for the programme that was agreed in 2016 is to be sustained over the period.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent assessment the Commissioners have made of the level of funding for the Archbishops’ Council's strategic development fund.
Mr Speaker, you will recall from your celebrated visit to Dudley the beautiful sight of Top church, dominating the town’s skyline. I am sure you will want to join me in thanking the Church Commissioners for designating Top church a resourcing church, and for granting £2.5 million to pay for more staff, support for vulnerable people, its work in the deprived community and—together with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund—urgent repairs and much-needed restoration.
May I take the opportunity to say how grateful we are to the brilliant Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Rev. Graham Usher; our Archdeacon, the Venerable Nikki Groarke; the resourcing church leader, the Rev. James Treasure, and of course Maureen Westley, who has been the driving force behind the church for years, and the whole congregation at Top church?
Mr Speaker, you will recall from your celebrated visit to Dudley the beautiful sight of Top church, dominating the town’s skyline. I am sure you will want to join me in thanking the Church Commissioners for designating Top church a resourcing church, and for granting £2.5 million to pay for more staff, support for vulnerable people, its work in the deprived community and—together with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund—urgent repairs and much-needed restoration.
May I take the opportunity to say how grateful we are to the brilliant Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Rev. Graham Usher; our Archdeacon, the Venerable Nikki Groarke; the resourcing church leader, the Rev. James Treasure, and of course Maureen Westley, who has been the driving force behind the church for years, and the whole congregation at Top church?
Amen to that, Mr Speaker. I thank the hon. Gentleman. I will take those thanks back to the Church Commissioners. The hon. Gentleman’s question gives me, as Second Church Estates Commissioner, a chance to remind the whole House of the Church Commissioners’ commitment to helping communities, especially some of our poorest communities, to refurbish and regenerate their churches.
Amen to that, Mr Speaker. I thank the hon. Gentleman. I will take those thanks back to the Church Commissioners. The hon. Gentleman’s question gives me, as Second Church Estates Commissioner, a chance to remind the whole House of the Church Commissioners’ commitment to helping communities, especially some of our poorest communities, to refurbish and regenerate their churches.
Amen to that, Mr Speaker. I thank the hon. Gentleman. I will take those thanks back to the Church Commissioners. The hon. Gentleman’s question gives me, as Second Church Estates Commissioner, a chance to remind the whole House of the Church Commissioners’ commitment to helping communities, especially some of our poorest communities, to refurbish and regenerate their churches.
Mr Speaker, you will recall from your celebrated visit to Dudley the beautiful sight of Top church, dominating the town’s skyline. I am sure you will want to join me in thanking the Church Commissioners for designating Top church a resourcing church, and for granting £2.5 million to pay for more staff, support for vulnerable people, its work in the deprived community and—together with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund—urgent repairs and much-needed restoration.
May I take the opportunity to say how grateful we are to the brilliant Bishop of Dudley, the Rt Rev. Graham Usher; our Archdeacon, the Venerable Nikki Groarke; the resourcing church leader, the Rev. James Treasure, and of course Maureen Westley, who has been the driving force behind the church for years, and the whole congregation at Top church?
How much of the strategic development fund is spent on building churches in new residential housing estates?
How much of the strategic development fund is spent on building churches in new residential housing estates?
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. It is a very important point that the strategic development fund is there not only for the restoration of very fine examples of English architecture, such as Top church in Dudley, but to establish new churches, often in communities where there has been no provision for places of worship. I reassure my hon. Friend. If he has candidates in his constituency, perhaps he would like to place a request through me to the commissioners, if that is what he seeks.
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. It is a very important point that the strategic development fund is there not only for the restoration of very fine examples of English architecture, such as Top church in Dudley, but to establish new churches, often in communities where there has been no provision for places of worship. I reassure my hon. Friend. If he has candidates in his constituency, perhaps he would like to place a request through me to the commissioners, if that is what he seeks.
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. It is a very important point that the strategic development fund is there not only for the restoration of very fine examples of English architecture, such as Top church in Dudley, but to establish new churches, often in communities where there has been no provision for places of worship. I reassure my hon. Friend. If he has candidates in his constituency, perhaps he would like to place a request through me to the commissioners, if that is what he seeks.
How much of the strategic development fund is spent on building churches in new residential housing estates?
A recent article in The Guardian stated that Scotland’s largest private forestry owner is now the Church of England. There are growing concerns in Scotland about the effects of that type of concentrated land ownership. Can the commissioner shed some light on what assessment the Church made of the impact of that investment decision on local communities?
A recent article in The Guardian stated that Scotland’s largest private forestry owner is now the Church of England. There are growing concerns in Scotland about the effects of that type of concentrated land ownership. Can the commissioner shed some light on what assessment the Church made of the impact of that investment decision on local communities?
The investment in forestry was part of the Church of England’s commitment to respond to its ethical investment strategy and move away from investments in, for example, oil sands and companies that may be producing products that do not accord with our commitment to tackle climate change. Investment in forestry obviously is a positive contribution to the climate. As part of the assessment of those investments, we take into consideration the communities that live in the places where we are invested.
The investment in forestry was part of the Church of England’s commitment to respond to its ethical investment strategy and move away from investments in, for example, oil sands and companies that may be producing products that do not accord with our commitment to tackle climate change. Investment in forestry obviously is a positive contribution to the climate. As part of the assessment of those investments, we take into consideration the communities that live in the places where we are invested.
The investment in forestry was part of the Church of England’s commitment to respond to its ethical investment strategy and move away from investments in, for example, oil sands and companies that may be producing products that do not accord with our commitment to tackle climate change. Investment in forestry obviously is a positive contribution to the climate. As part of the assessment of those investments, we take into consideration the communities that live in the places where we are invested.
A recent article in The Guardian stated that Scotland’s largest private forestry owner is now the Church of England. There are growing concerns in Scotland about the effects of that type of concentrated land ownership. Can the commissioner shed some light on what assessment the Church made of the impact of that investment decision on local communities?
Motion to consider. Agreed to on division (13 votes to 1).
Motion to consider. Agreed to on division (13 votes to 1).