Holy fury after council 'demands' residents help pay £120,000 church wall repair

Letters were sent to Kinver locals after St Peter's Church, on Church Hill, passed repair responsibilities on to South Staffordshire Council in April 2017.

The estimated tab, payable as of 2024, comes in at £128,901.64, with further expenses to be paid if repairs run over budget.

Reverend Richard Clarkson, Rector at St Peter’s Church, talked about the surprise letter and the repairs, he said: “The position of the church, and of the community, is that this work really needs doing and we don’t mind paying it.

“But the way the council went about telling people just isn’t right. We are disagreeing with the council on the amount that needs doing, but we are coming to common ground

“We do have some issues with the way the church was represented in the letter, it’s not really our fault, but I think the letter does paint us in a negative light.”

The repair tax applied to Kinver residents will be applicable over the 2024 and 2025 period, with South Staffordshire Council exploring cheaper alternatives up until that time.

Dr Paul Harrison, aged 59, a resident of Kinver, said: “People are more than willing to put their hands into their pockets and pay for this if the council had only asked first.

“Realistically a public discussion about the matter would have been appropriate. This sort of thing builds absolutely no confidence in the local council.” According to Dr Harrison, the tax was “bought in with no discussion with the people of Kinver”, the first time some residents heard about it is when the letter arrived in the mail.

The council introduced the bill under Section 35 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which allows expenses to be calculated and applied directly to the residents living in the parish of a closed church.

When asked about the repairs and the apparent “no warning” for Kinver locals, South Staffordshire Council spokesman said: “In this instance, consultation was not required or appropriate, as the proposal was not capable of being amended or shaped by any consultation responses.

“The council believe that it was right to give advanced notice of this charge which would be applicable in the 2024/2025 financial year, and will continue to explore ways of funding these essential works.”

Dr Harrison added: “What’s interesting is the level of community spirit that this has garnered, we are all pulling together on this.

We all believe we should have been included in talks and none of us wants this to happen again.” Reverend Clarkson added: “The doors to working with us and the community are absolutely not closed, as a church we are trying to make sure that the work that is done is necessary and appropriate, and communicate to the community in a more balanced way.”

A final price has yet to be announced, but projected figures estimate each household will be responsible for around £26 depending on the council tax band.More information on coming tax increase can be found on the South Staffs Council website sstaffs.gov.uk/life-events/st-peters-church-kinver--boundary-wall-repairs.cfm