Record levels of funding for Places of Worship

The Home Office has reported that 49 places of worship will benefit from £1.6 million of government funding for security, with British mosques being the biggest beneficiaries.

The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding scheme provides funding for measures such as CCTV, fencing, gates, alarms and lighting, to places of worship and associated faith community centres that are vulnerable to hate crime. 27 mosques, 13 churches, five gurdwaras and four Hindu temples have received funding this year, the largest amount of funding in a single year since the scheme was set up in 2016.

The government has said that next year’s scheme will again double, with £3.2 million earmarked for 2020/21.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack, the Home Office is also launching a new consultation for faith groups to feedback on what more can be done to protect faith groups from attacks.

The consultation will ask faith groups what else should be done to help them feel safe and confident while practicing their religion. The consultation, which will last for eight weeks, will enable all faith groups to share their experiences of hate crime, and provide valuable insight for the government in keeping pace with the evolving threat.

Minister for Countering Extremism Baroness Williams said: “No one should be fearful about practicing their faith. Whether it is a church, a mosque, gurdwara or temple, any place of worship should be a space of reflection and safety. The Places of Worship scheme provides that physical security. However, we can always do more, which is why we want to hear from worshipers about how we can better protect them from these terrible attacks.”