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Lancashire church leaders have escalated opposition to proposed ‘rain tax’ charges, threatening churches charities and clubs with water bill increases costing millions of pounds. Church members will support a mobile protest touring Lancashire, following a call by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev Nicholas Reade, for the proposals to be scrapped. Mounting anger led United Utilities, the privatised water supplier for the North-west, to postpone the full costs of the new tax for a year. “The Church of England in Lancashire welcomes the chance to join escalating protests against these unfair and ill-conceived proposals,” the Bishop said. “If left unchallenged they could do untold harm to churches and local organisations providing vital spiritual, community and social care. “The 12 month moratorium does not go far enough. It’s time the injustice of these proposals was recognised, and that they were scrapped.” The Rector of Chorley, the Rev Dr John Cree, who faces an annual increase from £520 to £3,500 at St Laurence Church, said: “We welcome the fact that United Utilities has brought in a moratorium to re-think, but it is important for us to continue to keep the pressure on them and Offwat to listen to the voices of charities and churches.” A mobile poster accusing water companies of reducing bills to big business, and passing on the resulting £100 million shortfall to churches and other community premises will tomorrow visit churches in Chorley, Blackburn and Lancaster. (**) The ‘rain tax’, introduced last year by four water companies, classes all non-domestic buildings as commercial, making no distinction between factories and buildings owned by churches, charities and clubs, campaigners claim. They say the tax is unfair because it is calculated on the surface area and boundary area of a property. They claim original Government guidelines in 2000 said it would be ‘inappropriate’ for non-household customers like churches, community facilities, charities and voluntary bodies to be charged like businesses. The new charges, also opposed by almost 100 MPs, are set to be debated by the General Synod, the ‘parliament’ of the Church of England next month, amid fears that increases announced by four water companies will spread nationally. |
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Churches, Charities and Clubs – fighting for fair charging by water companies |
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Lancashire fights rain tax |
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