The government’s decision to replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme with the Places of Worship Renewal Fund represents a significant shift. While we recognise the rationale for directing limited public funds towards areas of greatest socio-economic need, we remain concerned that reliance on area-based indicators risks disadvantaging places of worship of high historic and architectural significance that fall outside narrowly defined measures of deprivation. There is also a risk that the community value and reach of places of worship may be overlooked, particularly where their activities extend beyond their immediate postcode. (Conclusion, Paragraph 54)