MPs in the House of Commons have been told cathedrals in England will need at least £140 million to cover repairs and maintenance over the next five years.

Christian Conservative MP for Southwest Bedfordshire, Andrew Selous said people across the country need to “put their hands in their pockets” so cathedrals can continue to be "at the heart of our national life".

The Church Commissioners for England in the House of Commons was responding to a question posed by Lichfield Tory MP Michael Fabricant.

He said:"£50 billion is the amount of money generated, according to the Treasury, to the economy by our lovely English cathedrals, which of course includes the 800-year-old cathedral in Lichfield.

"But cathedrals are not just places for worship - they are used as vaccination centres, concert halls, and even for political hustings and debates.

"They do need several million pounds each year to maintain, so could he say a little bit more about what regular funding can be provided?"

To what Selous responded: "£50 billion is indeed the contribution to national wellbeing that the Treasury has calculated in its green book methodology."

He added: "While we are hugely grateful for the £29.4 million for cathedrals from the Government's Cultural Recovery Fund, £140 million is needed for cathedral repairs and maintenance over the next five years and, if we want our cathedrals to continue to be at the heart of our national life, we are all going to have to put our hands in our pockets to keep them in good repair because we cannot let 800 years of worship and service fail on our watch."

Selous also explained The Church Commissioners has recently allocated £20 million to the cathedral sustainability fund, following the decline in churches’ and cathedrals’ income during the pandemic.