Dioceses told to apply for cathedral grants

The Church has welcomed a £20 million government grant for cathedral repairs but warned that dioceses must apply quickly to avoid missing out, writes Liz Dodd.

The Chancellor, George Osborne, revealed the grant in his Budget last week, saying that cathedrals would be a “focal point” for commemorations of the beginning of the First World War this year.

The announcement came as the Church of England, which has 42 cathedrals, predicted an £87m repair-funding shortfall over the next five years. Sophie Andreae, vice chairwoman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference Patrimony Committee, said that the announcement was “a welcome bolt from the blue”.

And she warned the 18 Catholic cathedrals in England to get applications for funding in quickly.

“There is a real worry they could get left behind,” she said. “If they don’t, it could be too late. £20 million is a very large sum in the current economic climate, but at the end of the day cathedrals are very large buildings and repairs tend to be very expensive.”

She welcomed indications that churches could apply for grants for maintenance of services like wiring and heating, ineligible under previous schemes. A number of cathedrals, including Clifton and Birmingham, have expressed interest in applying for the grants while Shrewsbury Cathedral is to seek funding to repair its roof. It is expected that an ecumenical panel will award the grants over a two-year period.