Faith Buildings

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:41 pm on 6 January 2010.

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Photo of Andrew Pelling Andrew Pelling Independent, Croydon Central 4:41, 6 January 2010

I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing this important debate. Will she allow me briefly to give some perceptions from Croydon, an authority which supports faith communities in finding premises? There are some good examples of the benefits of local authorities playing such a role. An attractive church in Croydon is now used by the Jain community. Unfortunately, there are also examples of important faith communities, which can build strong communities, not being well cared for. Black churches end up in industrial buildings or find themselves being heavily opposed, as happened in Bromley in the neighbouring Constituency, when a black church moved into an old cinema in Upper Norwood. Finally, the Shi'a community in Croydon finds itself without any faith building. It is important to support the various Muslim communities in times of great stress within society and show how well we respect different faiths.

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