The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026
This Statutory Instrument, made by the Secretary of State with Treasury approval, sets the framework for financial support to the Churches Conservation Trust in England and Wales for the period beginning 1st April 2026 and ending 31st March 2029, specifying that the total aggregate grants paid under the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969 during this time must not exceed £9,531,000, and it simultaneously revokes the preceding 2025 Order.
Arguments For
Provides necessary governmental authority and funding certainty for the Churches Conservation Trust to continue its specific mission of preserving architecturally and historically significant redundant churches in England and Wales.
Establishes a clear three-year funding window (April 2026 to March 2029), allowing the Trust to plan long-term conservation and restoration projects effectively.
Ensures continuity of statutory oversight by confirming the authorized aggregate grant sum (£9,531,000) under the powers granted by the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969.
Revokes the previous 2025 Order, streamlining the legal framework and ensuring that the correct, current financial parameters govern the grants.
Arguments Against
Critics might argue that the specified aggregate grant amount (£9,531,000) might be insufficient to cover the growing maintenance costs or the necessity of preserving all historically significant vacant religious buildings.
The reliance on a statutory instrument, rather than primary legislation updating the funding mechanism, might be seen as a static approach to long-term heritage funding requirements.
The Order specifies a limited three-year window, perhaps not aligning with the decades-long planning cycle required for substantial heritage conservation and restoration efforts.
Grant decisions are still subject to ministerial and Treasury approval, which might introduce political or fiscal delays not fully addressed by this Order alone.
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
2026 No. 379
ECCLESIASTICAL LAW, ENGLAND AND WALES
The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026
Made - - - -
25th March 2026
Coming into force - -
1st April 2026
The Secretary of State, with the approval of the Treasury, makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 1 of the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969( 1 ) and now vested in the Secretary of State( 2 ).
In accordance with section 1(4) of that Act, a draft of this instrument was laid before and approved by a resolution of the House of Commons.
This sets out the document's legal designation as a Statutory Instrument, numbered 2026 No. 379, relating to Ecclesiastical Law specific to England and Wales, titled 'The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026'.
The Order was officially made on March 25th, 2026, and its provisions officially took effect on April 1st, 2026.
The Secretary of State enacted this instrument, having gained necessary approval from HM Treasury, using powers from the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969.
Furthermore, a compulsory procedural step was completed as a draft of the Order received approval through a resolution passed by the House of Commons.
Citation, commencement and extent
- -(1) This Order may be cited as the Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026 and comes into force on 1st April 2026.
- (2) This Order extends to England and Wales.
Article 1 establishes the legal title of this legislation as the 'Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026' and reiterates its commencement date as April 1st, 2026.
This Order's legal authority and application are limited geographically, applying only throughout England and Wales.
Period for grants to the Churches Conservation Trust
- The period beginning with 1st April 2026 and ending with 31st March 2029 is specified for the purposes of section 1(1) of the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969 ('the Act').
Article 2 legally defines the specific timeframe during which authorized financial grants can be distributed to the Churches Conservation Trust.
This designated period runs for exactly three years, commencing on April 1st, 2026, and concluding on March 31st, 2029, under the terms set out in Section 1(1) of the governing Act.
Aggregate amount of grants
- The aggregate amount of the grants that may be paid under section 1(1) of the Act in the period specified in article 2 must not exceed £9,531,000.
Article 3 imposes a mandatory maximum limit, or ceiling, on the total funding that can be disbursed to the specified body.
The cumulative total of all grants issued under Section 1(1) of the Act within the three-year period defined in Article 2 cannot surpass nine million, five hundred and thirty-one thousand pounds (£9,531,000).
( 1 ) 1969 c. 22. The Pastoral Measure 1968 (No. 1) established the Redundant Churches Fund and section 13(1) of the Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 1994 (No. 1) changed the name of the Redundant Churches Fund to the Churches Conservation Trust. Section 13(2) of the Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 1994 provided that references to the Redundant Churches Fund in section 1(1) of the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969 should be construed as references to the Churches Conservation Trust. The Pastoral (Amendment) Measure 1994 was repealed by the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 (No. 3) and the operation of the Churches Conservation Trust is now governed by section 57 of, and Schedule 5 to, the 2011 Measure (as amended by the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2014 (No. 1) and the Mission and Pastoral etc. (Amendment) Measure 2018 (No. 4)).
( 2 ) S.I. 1970/1681.
Status: This is the original version (as it was originally made). This item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.
Footnote (1) provides the legislative history regarding the body receiving the grants, whose original name was the Redundant Churches Fund, established in 1968.
It details subsequent name changes to the Churches Conservation Trust through subsequent Measures, noting the repeal of older legislation by the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, which now governs the Trust's operations, along with later amendments.
Footnote (2) references the specific piece of legislation (S.I. 1970/1681) under which the relevant powers were vested in the Secretary of State.
The status note confirms this is the initial, unamended text of the 2026 Order.
Revocation of previous Order
- The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2025( 3 ) is revoked.
Article 4 legally cancels the previous statutory instrument governing these grants.
Specifically, 'The Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2025' is officially revoked, ensuring that only the current 2026 Order applies moving forward.
25th March 2026
Ian Murray Minister of State Department for Culture, Media and Sport
We approve.
25th March 2026
Christian Wakeford Taiwo Owatemi Two of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury
This confirms the date of signing and identifies the responsible Minister, Ian Murray, Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
It also records the formal approval by two Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, Christian Wakeford and Taiwo Owatemi, on the same date.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order)
The Churches Conservation Trust (formerly known as the Redundant Churches Fund) ('the Trust') has as its object the preservation, in the interests of the nation and the Church of England, of churches and parts of churches of historic and archaeological interest or architectural quality which, together with their contents, are vested in the Trust.
Article 2 of the Order specifies the period beginning with 1st April 2026 and ending with 31st March 2029 for the purposes of section 1 of the Redundant Churches and other Religious Buildings Act 1969. As a result, the Secretary of State may, with the approval of the Treasury, make grants to the Trust during that period of such amounts, payable at such times and subject to such conditions, if any, as the Secretary of State may from time to time determine. Article 3 of the Order specifies the sum of £9,531,000 as the maximum aggregate amount of the grants that may be paid in that period. The previous Order made under section 1 of the 1969 Act is revoked.
An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.
The Explanatory Note clarifies that this accompanying text is not part of the legally binding Order itself.
It explains the core purpose of the Churches Conservation Trust (the Trust), which is to preserve churches and their contents that possess historic, archaeological, or architectural value, acting for the benefit of the nation and the Church of England.
It summarizes the key articles: Article 2 sets the 2026-2029 grant period under the 1969 Act, allowing the Secretary of State (with Treasury consent) to set grant amounts and conditions.
Article 3 sets the total funding limit at £9,531,000, and the Order revokes the preceding 2025 Order.
Finally, the note states that a formal Impact Assessment was deemed unnecessary because the instrument is not expected to have any significant impact on the private, voluntary, or public sectors.
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