Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

England’s Historic Cathedrals: Cost of Maintenance

Thursday 28 October 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • England's 42 Anglican cathedrals estimated they require 140 million for repairs and maintenance over the next five years.
  • The Church Commissioners are providing 20 million from the cathedral sustainability fund between 2020 and 2022.
  • Lichfield cathedral receives 264,000 from the culture recovery fund allocation for cathedrals of 29.4 million.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Michael Fabricant Con
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question arises from the need to maintain and repair historic Anglican cathedrals in England, with specific reference to Lichfield Cathedral.

Question

What estimate the Commissioners have made of the annual cost of maintaining England's historic cathedrals; and if he will make a statement.

Answer from Andrew Selous

In 2019, England's 42 Anglican cathedrals estimated that they required £140 million for repairs and maintenance over the next five years. The Church Commissioners are providing from the cathedral sustainability fund £20 million between 2020 and 2022, which is double the original planned figure.

Answered
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Q2 Michael Fabricant Con
Culture, Media & Sport Religion & Faith
Context

The question arises from the impact of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic on Lichfield Cathedral's financial situation, affecting its ability to maintain and repair the historic building.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend for his kind comments and for his answer. Lichfield cathedral costs around £2 million a year to run. In good years, it is able to set aside a few hundred thousand pounds each year to try to repair the damage being done to an 800-year-old building by the usual environmental impacts. It is not making the £2 million, because we are still recovering from covid, so is there any chance of the recovery fund continuing?

Answer from Andrew Selous

The Church is very grateful to the Government for the culture recovery fund allocation for cathedrals of £29.4 million, of which £264,000 has been allocated to Lichfield cathedral. There has been a £3.1 million investment in craft training between the Cathedrals Workshop Fellowship and the Hamish Ogston Foundation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The continuation of the recovery fund beyond its current period is not directly addressed.

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