Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Church Commissioners

22 July 2021 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Matt Western Lab Warwick and Leamington

TaxationReligion & Faith

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Matt Western raised concerns about church commissioners in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Concerns were raised about the assessment the Church Commissioners made on the effect of VAT on church repairs.
  • A report by Historic England in 2019 highlighted that VAT imposes additional costs up to 750,000 for certain projects.
  • The debate focused on the impact of VAT on the affordability of church repairs.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Matt Western Lab Warwick and Leamington

Asked what assessment the commissioners have made regarding the effect of charging VAT on church repairs and their impact on affordability. He further discussed a report by Historic England in 2019, which highlighted that VAT imposes consequential costs of up to £750,000 for certain projects in his constituency.

Other contributors (1)
  • Andrew Selous

    Agreed with the need for sustainable solutions and mentioned that short-term measures such as the listed places of worship grant scheme are insufficient. He suggested using new tax freedoms gained post-Brexit to permanently reduce or zero-rate VAT on repairs and restoration of listed buildings.

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