Have you ever wondered how your local church is funded? Our churches have four main sources of income; regular giving from churchgoers, fees from weddings and funerals, fundraising and grants from other charities, and investments and income from other assets. To this we can now add grants from local civic parish councils.

Historically, there used to be a church rate, which was enforceable in law, that church parish council could ask people to pay. In 1884 the Local Government Act was passed, creating a secular version of the parish council, with powers to raise rates for the work of the new civic council. It was entirely appropriate that the new parish council was not given powers or control of church buildings or charities.

But the question long remained whether civic parish councils were empowered, if they chose, to make grants to churches and church charities for their activities within the local community. Some parish councils did but others were advised not to the situation has been unclear for a long time. Not everybody goes to church, it was argued but, equally not everyone is a member of the cricket club, which can receive money from the local council.

There has been a long discussion between the Church and the Government about whether or not this discriminates against the Church, as Churchgoers pay their council tax like everyone else. 

The wonderful news for parish churches, is that from 26 December 2023, the law has been changed by the Government expressly to enable parish councils to make grants towards churches.

The NALC has now withdrawn its advice, LO1-18, Financial Assistance to the Church and has issued a new document, LO2-23, Power to fund works to property relating to the of the Church or Church held ecclesiastical charity, in which its former advice on funding for the Church-or Church charities has been replaced.

Our priceless church buildings are part of everyone’s heritage, local and national, and our church members play a huge part in conserving and repairing them. It is for everyone’s benefit if both the old stones and the living stones are able to prosper, for the sake of the wider parish and community.