To tackle the rising number of hate crimes against religious buildings, churches and other places of worship can now apply for a new round of funding under the Government’s Places of Worship – Security Funding Scheme. A total of £1 million is available during this funding round.
The scheme is open to churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras in England and Wales. The Jewish community will be exempt from this scheme as a similar commitment was made to fund Jewish community sites through a grant administered by the Community Security Trust.
Places of worship can only bid for security equipment and not for the cost of recruiting security personnel. This can include:
- CCTV
- Perimeter fencing
- Access control gates
- Bollards
- Door locks
- Window locks
- Intruder alarm
- External lighting
- Security doors, etc.
The maximum grant available per application is £56,000 or projects costing up to £70,000. Funding would also include the appropriate labour cost to install the security equipment.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/places-of-worship-security-funding-scheme
