The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, has welcomed those Budget changes which provide support for churches charities.

Some of the measures will benefit all, such as the provision of tax relief from inheritance tax for people leaving 10% of their estate in their wills to churches or charities from 2012. Other measures, starting in 2013, are aimed particularly at charities or churches which take small donations in cash and they allow Gift Aid tax relief to be collected on cash donations up to £5000 without the need for signed declarations. Apart from regular, tax efficient giving, this provision will allow small amounts of cash put in church to qualify for tax relief. This could mean around £250,000 across the whole diocese.

Bishop Alan said: “This help is great news. Churches are the largest force of volunteers in the country. In the Church of England, our members provide over 23 million hours of voluntary service outside the church. Small community charities are also at the heart of this work of making people’s sometimes really hard lives, better.

Whatever these groups do, whether it is supporting the elderly through a lunch club, or the homeless through offering the basics of life, or those with drug addiction, a deficit of life skills or debt problems, we have all in the Diocese of St Albans. They face increasing demands for their services. They needed some good news from the Government.”