Water Charge Exemption for Churches and Charities

The motion

That the Parliament praises the work of local charities in promoting social justice in our communities; recognises that, in the words of Reverend Jock Stein of the Church of Scotland Dunfermline Presbytery, “Church premises are used by all kinds of community bodies, including groups like Mothers and Toddlers, Scouts, Guides, and Alcoholics Anonymous”; notes that these organisations, when they are able, try to make donations to the churches whose facilities they use but that such donations are barely enough to cover current operating costs; objects to any proposal to discontinue the water charge exemption that makes the work of these institutions feasible; notes the estimated average £1,000 annual water charges that these churches and charities might face, and that “depending on the size of their premises bills could be up to a third of the annual income of some small charities” which would force them to reduce their activities, resulting in a loss of valuable social services to the community; asserts that the estimated £2.4 million it would cost to maintain this exemption for all charitable organisations in Scotland is well worth paying in exchange for the variety of services that they provide, and urges the Scottish Government to sympathetically review the results of the recent consultation and support Scotland’s charities by allowing the exemption to stand.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Lab 2 SNP 2

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3M-01583 by reference.