Theos Researcher Warns English Cathedrals Face Structural Deficit and Funding Crisis

In a letter responding to Jonathan Davies' October 7 article on English choral music, Dr Coco Parkinson-Huggins of the Theos thinktank argues that cathedrals — the foundation of that tradition — are in financial peril. She notes that 80% of cathedrals in England are in structural deficit, with Peterborough and St Davids recently reaching crisis point. One in four English cathedrals now charges entry fees, and even diversified income streams, including controversial silent discos, have not resolved the shortfall. Theos research indicates 74% of English adults have visited a cathedral in the past three years, and more than 90% of surveyed visitors, including 94% of non-religious respondents, view cathedrals as community hubs and symbols of local identity. Despite this, cathedrals receive no secure state funding and limited support from central church authorities. Unlike free-admission museums and galleries, they also lack the same VAT exemptions on repairs and maintenance. Two cathedrals are Unesco world heritage sites and many are nearly 1,000 years old. Parkinson-Huggins warns that without cathedrals, English choral music would cease to exist, and that this outcome may be nearer than assumed.