London, UK - The nation’s cash-strapped cathedrals should receive direct Government funding for the first time, an influential Parliamentary committee has said.
The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by the Conservative backbencher Edward Leigh, who is on the council of Lincoln Cathedral, has said that direct funding might help the ten cathedrals that charge for entry to cease doing so.
Last year, English Heritage announced it was ending its programme of cathedral grants, even though a survey by them showed that more than £100 million is needed within the next decade to keep England’s 59 Roman Catholic and Anglican cathedrals standing.
The work still needed doing despite £250 million of repairs over the past two decades.
English Heritage blamed shortfalls in government funding for the decision to end after 19 years its annual £3 million scheme to help towards cathedral repairs.
The recommendation from the Parliamentary committee that supervises public expenditure caught the Church of England by surprise, even though church leaders have been lobbying for decades for direct help.
Cathedrals in many other European countries such as France are supported by the Government but even though most of the cathedrals in Britain are listed buildings and attract thousands of visitors a year, they receive no direct help.
Janet Gough, director of cathedrals for the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, said: “This has come out of the blue. It is the first time a parliamentary body has explicitly said that money should go from the public purse towards the care of cathedrals.”
Listed cathedrals and church buildings receive indirect help through grants which compensate for VAT on repairs which has saved them more than £100 million since 2001. This VAT relief scheme is also up for renewal in 2011.
The committee’s recommendation, in its newly-published report Promoting Participation with the Historic Environment, states: "English cathedrals represent some of our most important architectural heritage yet many of them charge the public for entry. These buildings are expensive to look after and the department (of culture) and English Heritage should work together to find ways to fund their conservation so that they can be less reliant on charging for entry, which could deter people from visiting."
Labour MP Frank Field, chairman of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission, said: “This is the first time Parliament has asked the Government for some direct funding for cathedrals.
“At last Parliament sees the importance of cathedrals in earning money for this country, in expanding local employment and above all as part of the face we wish to show to the world.”
The Very Rev Vivienne Faull, Dean of Leicester and Chairman of the Association of English Cathedrals, said: “Cathedrals are delighted that their role in the nation’s life is recognized by the committee. Cathedrals are iconic buildings of significance to the heritage and culture of the areas they serve.”
The same committee reported that targets for the number of poor families and members of ethnic minorities who visit historic sites were “unrealistic” and served no useful purpose.
The cross-party committee also raised concerns that over the same period, free educational visits to English Heritage sites dropped by a fifth, from around 500,000 to just over 400,000.
A DCMS spokesman said that cathedrals make a “very important contribution” to the nation’s heritage, and are significant in terms of the number of people employed, the volunteering opportunities, the tourists attracted to an area, and the vital community work often undertaken.
“English Heritage has a very good record of supporting the fabric repair programmes at cathedrals with grant funding.”
He said that although the targeted grant scheme had ended, cathedrals will still be able to get grants through regional funding schemes.