Hansard

Churches Conservation Trust

Volume 519: debated on Tuesday 30 November 2010

Download text
Back to top Previous debate Next debate
Jeremy Lefroy
(Stafford) (Con)

7. What steps the Church Commissioners are taking to support the work of the Churches Conservation Trust. (27052)

The Second Church Estates Commissioner
(Tony Baldry)

The Churches Conservation Trust was set up by statute to preserve

“in the interests of the nation”

churches that have closed for regular public worship but are of historic or architectural value. For the funding period to March 2012, the Church Commissioners will provide a further £4 million.

Tony Baldry

The CCT is supporting some 340 church buildings, all of which are of considerable historic or architectural interest. We are grateful for the co-sponsoring by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on a 30:70 basis. This is an issue that is bigger than just the Church. Some 45% of all grade 1 listed buildings are churches, and those buildings represent an important part of the social history of our nation.