STATEMENT FROM ST THOMAS CHURCH PCC
A statement on behalf of St Thomas Stanhope Parochial Church Council (PCC):
Stanhope Church Hall
The PCC of St Thomas Stanhope parish church (not ‘the Church of England’ more widely) is the
Trustee body with responsibility, including financial responsibility, for the church hall. It receives
no financial support from any government or national church body and all our funds come from
gifts to the church, mainly from a small number of individuals who give regularly. The PCC
established a new management team for the hall recently and undertook an in-depth analysis of
the costs of the church hall in 2024. This showed an income of £16,812, but running and
maintenance costs of £33,474 (a loss of £16,662). The team also arranged an architectural
inspection the church hall which indicated that urgent repairs need to be carried out at an
estimated cost of £111k.
The PCC is having to consider the financial viability of continuing to own and manage the hall (as
any Trustee body in this position would have to), in light of this information. Any decision about
the future of the hall can only be made by the PCC, which is an elected body of Trustees. It cannot
be made by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on 16 th March, which is effectively the
Annual General Meeting of the church.
The PCC would welcome the views of local people about the church hall, and – of course – any
offers of local financial support. We recognise that local feeling may be strong – and many PCC
members may share that strong desire to retain a local facility. However, we need to reiterate that
we do not receive financial support from any other body (it is often believed that parish churches
are funded by the government or the Church of England nationally – they are not); ultimately, the
PCC has to make all decisions about our expenditure within our means.
