Churches, Charities and Clubs – fighting for fair charging by water companies

For churches

The Church of England is taking an active role in challenging the rain tax…

Petition

David Boddy, churchwarden of North Thornaby in Teesside set up the church petition after his parish's bill from Northumbrian Water increased from £70 to £800. "Most of the proceeds from our summer fair will now be paying water bills," he said. You can read about it here.

Synod motion

A private members' motion on rising water bills has been brought forward by lay member Martin Dales, a former Mayor of Malton, North Yorkshire. The motion urges the Government to remind OFWAT of its "obligations" to ensure churches are treated as charities, as specified in government guidance from 2000. It will be debates in early February 2009.

Mr Dales said, "It is quite outrageous that at a time when many churches are facing huge increases in electricity and gas bills, such unannounced increases in water bills should also be thrust on parishes - often just because they have had a water meter fitted in an attempt to keep their bills down."

Briefing paper 1

Briefing paper 2

 

 

Briefing notes coming soon…

 

info@dontdrainus.org

Hotline 0709 2847134

Sign the Downing Street petition here

Don't drain church resources

A new survey by YouGov, commissioned by Ecclesiastical Insurance has found that 66% of the general public, regardless of whether they are Christian or attend church, would be concerned if their local church fell into disrepair. 40% feel that their local church is an important part of their community’s history and heritage – again regardless of whether they attend it or not.

What the drain will cost

The ‘rain tax’ is expected to cost the Church of England over £15 million a year, plus a further £10 million as churches employ professional services to appeal the initial bills. This is equivalent to the Church of England being permanently drained of the resources to employ 375 clergy (a loss of 10 clergy in every diocese), or being unable to support 3,000 community groups, or 7,500 pensioner lunch clubs, or the loss of 357 Church School teachers*. Larger churches will see their bills rise from £140 to £8,000 and Cathedrals will pay between £5,000 and £71,000 a year.

The Scouts Association estimates the total drain from the pockets of children into the pockets of water companies to be around £1.5 million.

Many small voluntary sports clubs are reporting similar increases to church bills, ranging from 100 to 1,400%, in the United Utilities region.

The total annual cost to the not for profit sector of churches, charities and clubs is believed by many to be over £100 million a year.

*(Estimated Church of England costs PA : clergy-£40,000 (Stipend £22,000, plus pension and NI/Housing), supporting in kind to parents and toddler groups-£5,000, support in kind to pensioners luncheon club-£2,500, average teacher salary with NI and pension-£42,000. A church in Chester Diocese recently paid £1,000 in professional fees to demonstrate no liability).