Deans of the Church of England’s 42 cathedrals are to meet MPs in Westminster next month to discuss the growing financial difficulties involved in maintaining historic buildings amid debate over custodianship and their futures, following the publication of new research highlighting widespread operational deficits.
The meeting was announced at the National Cathedrals Conference on Tuesday, as the Church Times reported. Sir Paul Ruddock, who previously chaired the Government’s First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, warned delegates that it was a mistake to assume that the cathedrals would always remain as they are, despite attracting some 10 million visitors each year.
