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UK News

CofE welcomes government money for leaky churches

by Hannah Tooley

Almost 300 parishes are expected to receive grants of between £10,000 and £100,000 for urgent repairs to their church roofs, gutters and drains.

The money is part of the second round of funds from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, which was announced by Chancellor George Osborne in the last budget.

Damaged rooves and water drainage systems are the main causes of decay in historic churches and it's thought that 401 listed places of worship will benefit from the £25 million funding package given by the Treasury.

501 churches have already been given funding from the first round in Spring 2015.

Sir Tony Baldry, Chair of the Church Buildings Council, said: "It is fantastic that almost 300 more church buildings will receive significant help with roof repairs from government and we are hugely grateful to the Chancellor.

"We now need to ensure a sustainable way of funding church buildings in the future and this is a question to which I hope the government's English Churches and Cathedrals Sustainability Review will find viable and deliverable answers."

The National Heritage Memorial Fund will distribute the money on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The grants were announced by George Osborne in the 2014 Autumn Statement and subsequently extended for a second round due to heavy oversubscription.

In total the Treasury has allocated £55 million to the scheme.

Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speaking to Sir Tony Baldry:

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