31/03/2026
Research shows that the public are largely unaware of who foots the bill for church repairs. A poll commissioned by Historic England, which was carried out by Savanta, interviewed 1763 adults in England in September 2025. The poll asked: which of the following do you believe is mainly responsible for the upkeep of historic churches?
• Over a third of people – 39% – believed it was the relevant church authorities, for example the Church of England or the Catholic Church.
• 15% thought it was the local District Council
• 12% did not know
• 12% said it was the National Churches Trust
• 12% believed it was Historic England or English Heritage
• 11% said it was a local committee including the vicar, churchwardens and ordinary people
• 1% believed it was another organisation
So, who does pay for church repairs to keep these buildings open and in use?
The responsibility for the upkeep, care and maintenance of historic churches falls on the shoulders of the local congregation, including any staff – but in almost all cases it is mainly volunteers – at each church, chapel, meeting house or cathedral.
One in every 20 churches in the UK needs a new roof in the next year. There are almost 1,000 churches, chapels, meeting houses and cathedrals on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. We know from speaking to churches that they are putting off urgent repairs because they do not have the money. Grants are scarce and application forms take time and fundraising expertise – many churches do not have paid staff who can apply or are unaware of what help there is out there.
Towers are crumbling. Timbers are rotting. Roofs are leaking. We risk losing some of these buildings for good if action is not taken soon.
And the funding landscape is changing with the end of the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme - listed churches will now have to pay tax on their repairs. Keep up with the latest news on these changes at our website: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/VAT
📸 © Michael Garlick, CC BY 2.0 (Toftree All Saints, Norfolk)
