25th November 2025

County parish joins national Church of England tax exemption campaign

One of our parishes has featured in a new national Church of England campaign fronted by the Archbishop of York who has called on the Chancellor to safeguard a tax exemption for repairs to listed religious buildings, saying it delivers ‘significant social value’ for a ‘relatively small investment’.

For two decades, churches, synagogues and mosques have relied on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to reclaim VAT on repair bills. But its future currently hangs in the balance.

Stories in the national media over the weekend included comment from a number of churches including from Canon Neil Kelley, Rector of St Laurence Church.

St Laurence Church in Chorley has been forced to postpone the completion of roof repairs. 

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Fr Kelley said cuts to VAT relief mean they cannot afford to repair its roof in one go, the cost of which has risen by £125,000.

He added: “We have to do the project in two parts, and that unfortunately means paying for two lots of scaffolding, which costs an absolute fortune.”

The Rev Kelley said the delay, and the potential that the scheme could be axed, has ‘made it even more difficult’ for the church to run its community work.

The Telegraph story is behind a paywall but you can read more about the wider background to this on the Church of England website here and specifically about St Laurence’s here.