England’s Historic Cathedrals Cost of Maintenance
2021-10-28
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Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The question arises from the need to maintain and repair historic Anglican cathedrals in England, with specific reference to Lichfield Cathedral.
What estimate the Commissioners have made of the annual cost of maintaining England's historic cathedrals; and if he will make a statement.
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.
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Q2
Partial Answer
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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.
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?
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.
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Assessment & feedback
The continuation of the recovery fund beyond its current period is not directly addressed.
Response accuracy