THURSDAY, 12th APRIL, 2012.

Son donated kidney

Page 28

Athlete missing in Greece Readers'ViewsPages22-25

Page 31

Archdeacon condemns AT plans

What’s on... What’s gone...

Pages 32-34

Cracking time enjoye

Pages 26-27

By Rachel Naylor A Congleton clergyman has condemned Government proposals to introduce VAT on alterations to listed buildings, claiming churches could fall into disrepair.

The Venerable Ian Bishop, the archdeacon of Macclesfield, criticised the chancellor’s plans to charge the standard rate of 20% VAT on modifications, which were announced in his recent Budget.

Approved changes to listed buildings currently enjoy a zero rating, but VAT relief is to be removed from October.

Mr Bishop said he was surprised by the move, saying: “This is going to have to have a massive impact on some exciting community projects and is in every way a ridiculous decision.

“One church in Knutsford has already flagged up that it will add £160,000 to their proposed development costs.”

He added that the addition of VAT would equate to an extra £20 million a year having to be raised by volunteers nationally.

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Mr Bishop, who represents 143 churches in the area, of which around 80% are listed, urged his parishioners to sign a petition online before 4th May and write to their local MP to complain.

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Brothers James, (8), and Edward Brown, (6), with their eggs-traordinary haul at the annual Easter Egg Trail at Little Moreton Hall, on Newcastle Road, on Easter Monday. For more Easter photos turn to page 26. (“Chronicle” photo. 1516a/12).

Parliament backs MP’s palliative care stance Congleton’s MP highlighted the importance of quality end of life care when she spoke out against assisted suicide in the House of Commons.

And Fiona Bruce won the support of her Parliamentary colleagues who backed her amendment of a motion which has settled an important issue in English law.

The amendment in Mrs Bruce’s name, encouraging further development of specialist palliative care and hospice provision, obtained the support of more than 100 MPs.

She had told the Commons that evidence showed that where there was a high standard of palliative and end of life care, there were fewer requests for assisted suicide.

Mrs Bruce said: “That is why it is so important that we focus on supporting and developing further end of life care specialisms and treatment.”

An opposing amendment, put down by veteran MP Dame Joan Ruddock asked MPs to support a move for current guidance on prosecutions for assisted suicide to be placed on a statutory footing.

But it was voted down while Mrs Bruce’s amendment was unanimously supported by MPs of all parties.

However, MPs did accept for the first time that circumstances did exist in which a family would not be prosecuted for assisting in a suicide.

Dame Joan told Parliament: “I have always known that in compelling circumstances I would assist a loved one to die. That is why I think it is so important the Director of Public Prosecutions policy be placed in statute.”

Speaking after the debate, Mrs Bruce said: “The House of Commons, in its first debate on this subject for many years, has sent out a strong signal that it does not want to see the law changed.

“Assisting suicide is illegal in this country. Any change in the law to allow assisted suicide or euthanasia could place pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden upon others.

“This could especially affect people who are disabled, elderly, sick or depressed.”

She said the present law, making assisted suicide illegal, was clear and acted as a deterrent “protecting the vulnerable, while at the same time detailed guidelines do permit the director of public prosecutions to exercise his discretion not to prosecute in a small number of tragic cases on compassionate grounds and this law is working.”

“There is no need to change it,” said Mrs Bruce, adding: “It was very important that the amendment to the debate seeking to put the DPP’s discretion on a statutory footing was opposed and voted down.

“To do so would have formalised — and potentially normalised — what are currently exceptionally used discretionary guidelines and have opened a door towards legalised euthanasia in this country — not the right direction of travel for a country with the best palliative care in the world.”

Many MPs who spoke in the debate expressed concerns that any change could open the way to Dutch-style arrangements in Holland euthanasia is legal, whereby thousands of people, many of them elderly, have thei lives ended before their natural end.

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