Legislate to require Church Commissioners to prioritises parish fabric repairs — 21 signatures. Status: rejected.
We call on the UK Government and Parliament to introduce legislation requiring the Church Commissioners for England to legally prioritise the physical maintenance, restoration, and security of local parish churches and historic graveyards before paying reparations.
The core historical purpose of the Church of England's central assets—including funds derived from Queen Anne's Bounty—has always been to maintain local church buildings. The Church Commissioners have pledged £100 million of these endowment funds to establish a separate investment vehicle for reparatory justice. This allocation of funds comes at a time when hundreds of historic, parish churches across the UK are facing a severe funding crisis, critical structural decay, closure and vandalism.
View this petition on the official UK Parliament website