Rates to cover church shortfall, Is it fair?

St Peter Port rate payers could be left with a £100,000 bill following the restoration of Guernsey's Town Church.
Work at the church is nearing completion and it should be open within a fortnight, after being closed for about 10 months.
Church Warden Ellis Bebb said the project went over budget because of unforeseen problems.
It could cost the average household in the parish an extra £10 a year for two years.
The last service at the church was on Christmas Day, and originally the intention was to open it to the public again for Liberation Day in May.
However the restoration project went over budget and a loan had to be taken out to make up the shortfall. (from BBC)

Is it right for the rate payer to cover this cost?

No.

The C of E is a wealthy institution and should be paying for their own upkeep. It is only a matter of time before someone brings this in front of the ECHR.

I strongly object to pay for work on a church. For the C of E to be pleading poverty is laughable. I have just looked at some figures for 2007, details as follows:-

Investments £1.275 billion
Cash £265 million

Not to mention the £3+ billion of non-investment assets.

And they've got the nerve to come cap-in-hand to people who have no interest whatsoever in their ritualistic shenanigans. It's a (very bad) joke.

It would not be so bad if the church did indeed come 'cap in hand' - but IMO they just expect parishioners to cough up whether they use the facility or not!!!! No it is not right and it is not fair!!!!

As an atheist I do indeed mind paying for somebody else's "house" BUT if the Town Church is allowed to fall down somebody would sell it to a developer and God knows what would replace it.So my £5-00 is well spent.

The church are rich enough to fund their own repairs......and I expect you/we are paying for the Manse and it's upkeep (in every parish) as well.....I find it quite disturbing that they do not use their own riches to support themselves, but continue to live off of the less well off - whether or not they use the facility!