Committee publication · Correspondence · 28 January 2026

Letter from Baroness Twycross, Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling, regarding the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, 22 January 2026

From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Summary

Baroness Twycross updates the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on the government's decision to replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme with a new £23 million annual capital fund from 2026/27 to 2029/30, targeted at places of worship in areas of greatest need. The existing scheme will end 31 March 2026. The government concluded that 80% of current scheme recipients would have completed work without the rebate, justifying the shift to a more targeted model.

Key findings

Existing Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme will end 31 March 2026 or when current budget is spent, whichever comes first.
Government evaluation found 80% of respondents said they would have carried out work without the rebate under the current scheme.
New targeted capital fund of £23 million per year announced for 2026/27–2029/30, focused on places of worship in areas of greatest need.
New fund will be England-only because heritage is a devolved policy area; eligibility criteria and application process to be published later.
Government engaged with Church of England, National Council of Trusts, and Marsha de Cordova MP to understand stakeholder needs before decision.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

heritage-fundingplaces-of-worshippublic-finance

Key actors

Baroness Twycross, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Church of England, National Council of Trusts, Marsha de Cordova MP, Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Notable line

“An untargeted scheme does not achieve that. I will therefore deliver a new capital fund for places of worship of £23 million per year …”

Key Quotes

“Our evaluation shows that under the current Listed Places of Worship Scheme, 80% of respondents said that they would still have carried out the work without the rebate.”
— Baroness Twycross · justifying the shift away from the existing scheme

“An untargeted scheme does not achieve that. I will therefore deliver a new capital fund for places of worship of £23 million per year, starting in 2026/27 for the remaining years of the Spending Review until 2029/30, targeted at places of most need.”
— Baroness Twycross · announcing the government's new policy direction

“By moving to a more targeted model aimed at places of worship in areas of greatest need, we can ensure that every pound of taxpayers' money is leveraged to secure the future of our heritage while supporting the government's wider missions for national renewal and community cohesion.”
— Baroness Twycross · explaining the rationale for targeting

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗