Hundreds of Britain’s historic places of worship are under acute threat of closure in the next five years as soaring maintenance costs push community buildings to the brink – a stark warning that the “church closures heritage” crisis is now upon us.
The UK has more than 20,000 listed places of worship, many housing significant heritage assets such as stained-glass windows, historic monuments and centuries-old craftsmanship. These buildings also serve as crucial community hubs, hosting food banks, mental-health services, debt counselling and youth groups.
A survey by the National Churches Trust involving over 3,600 churches found that by 2030, one in 20 say they will definitely or probably cease being used as a place of worship. Rural churches are particularly vulnerable — approximately 900 are at risk of closing within the next five years.
Mounting Maintenance Burdens
Nearly one-in-five churches say their buildings have deteriorated in the last five years, and almost two-in-five report that their roof is at risk or in urgent need of repair. Meanwhile, nearly a third of churches are dipping into reserves just to cover basic running costs. With limited fundraising capacity and shrinking congregations, the strain is mounting.
The Church of England alone faces a repair backlog of at least £1 billion and annual maintenance costs of around £150 million.
Policy Changes Make Crisis Worse
Earlier this year the government introduced a VAT cap of £25,000 on repair work to listed places of worship — effectively ending the full exemption that many churches had relied upon. The result: further budget shortfalls for already cash-strapped congregations and heritage groups, increasing the likelihood of closure or mothballing of important community buildings.
Wider Social Impact
The consequences go far beyond worship. Some 75 % of churches host community groups, more than 50 % operate food-banks or food-distribution hubs, one third provide mental-health support, and one in five offer debt-advice services. According to broadcaster and barrister Rob Rinder:
“If you want to see the real British values at work … there you’ll find people of every colour, every faith, every accent, quietly holding our country together…”
He argues that to save these buildings is “to save something fundamental about Britain itself.”
Experts Call for Urgent Funding and Strategy
Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), described maintaining churches as “one of the most important heritage challenges we face”.
Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust, is calling for a new, recurring capital fund of £50 million a year from government to prevent further closures and enable local congregations to carry on their work.
Recent Background Developments
Since the 2024-25 period, independent studies by the National Churches Trust have reaffirmed the scale of the crisis: in their submission to Parliament it was noted that the UK has roughly 38,500 church buildings, over 20,000 of them listed — making the safeguarding of church buildings “one of the greatest heritage challenges facing the nation”.
A 2024 public-poll found that if a local church closed, nearly one-in-four (22 %) of regular church-goers said they would stop attending services altogether, while 7 % said they would move to online-only, underscoring the social ripple effects of church closures.
What Could Happen Without Intervention
Without urgent funding and a strategic plan, many more churches may close permanently, taking with them heritage architecture, community services and social-cohesion hubs. As the National Churches Trust warns: local communities shouldn’t have to struggle alone.
Key Takeaway
The “church closures heritage” crisis in the UK is not just about architecture — it’s about preserving community lifelines, social support networks and cultural memory. If Britain’s historic churches continue to slip into disuse, the impact will be felt long beyond Sunday services.
