SNP leaves Christians furious as Scotland’s churches being left to crumble in bitter funding row

The SNP is facing growing pressure to provide financial support for historic church sites in Scotland in a bitter funding row with residents who say places of worship are "being left to crumble".

The Scottish Government confirmed it has limited scope to replace a UK-wide scheme that helped congregations recover VAT costs on repairs to listed church buildings.

Culture Secretary Màiri McAllan said ministers were "actively exploring options" to assist churches, following the UK Government's decision to end the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS).

However, she warned that the Scottish Government's ability to introduce a replacement scheme was constrained by funding limitations.

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The LPWGS, which allowed listed churches to reclaim VAT on repair and maintenance work, closed at the end of March after its £23million budget for the current financial year was fully allocated.

It has since been replaced by the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which applies only to listed churches in England, and not Scotland.

In response to a written parliamentary question from Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess, Ms McAllan said the Scottish Government had not been informed in advance of the UK's decision, and had been unable to make provision for a replacement after the Scottish Budget had already been set.

She said ministers were seeking ways to ensure churches in Scotland were not "disproportionately affected" by the withdrawal of the VAT relief, but added that it had not been possible to identify any specific funding linked directly to the new English-only scheme.

Church leaders have expressed frustration at the response, saying requests for urgent talks have yet to receive a formal reply.

A spokesman for the Church of Scotland said the Scottish Churches Leaders' Forum and the Scottish Churches Committee wrote to Ms McAllan on June 17, requesting a meeting to discuss possible support for congregations facing increased repair costs.

The Church said it had been informed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the Scottish Government had received funds as part of the wider Spending Review, with calculations to accommodate the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund in England.

The spokesman said no acknowledgement of the letter had been received nearly a month later, despite it being signed by senior church representatives including the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rt Rev Gordon Kennedy.

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They said churches were "living, breathing spaces at the heart of communities", and warned that the loss of VAT support could have a significant impact on buildings that provide a wide range of community services.

The Scottish Government later confirmed it had received Barnett consequentials arising from the wider DCMS budget settlement, but said it was not possible to isolate a specific amount attributable solely to the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

Barnett consequentials act as adjustments made to the grants of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland when the UK Government increases or decreases spending on comparable public services in England.

They are calculated using the Barnett formula, which distributes funding proportionally based on each nation's relative population size

In March, representatives of the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Catholic Bishops' Conference met Heritage Minister Fiona Twycross and Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill to express concern over the closure of the VAT scheme.

Church leaders warned that congregations could be forced to divert money away from community projects, including anti-poverty initiatives, to cover essential building repairs.

Rev David Gray, property convenor for the Church of Scotland's Glasgow Presbytery, said earlier this year that several projects had been placed at risk after congregations lost access to a funding mechanism they had relied upon when planning major restoration work.

Church leaders also rejected suggestions that lottery funding could provide an alternative, arguing that some congregations were unable to accept on ethical or pastoral grounds.

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