Help stop the latest threat to St Bride’s

St Bride’s has survived plague, fire and bombs but now faces a new threat which may be its undoing – Sunday parking charges. We need your help to stop that by signing our petition.

St Bride’s congregations have always been drawn from beyond the parish boundaries, in particular through our ministry to journalists of all faiths and none. Not for nothing are we known as the Journalists’ Church.

But St Bride’s is also one of the most significant heritage sites in the City of London both architecturally, culturally and historically.

Safeguarding that heritage is now in danger as the City of London Corporation has proposed introducing Sunday parking charges.

Our Sunday congregation is a key cog in the mechanism which keeps the church running, not only as a source of much-needed financial support but also by filling governance and volunteer roles.

Low numbers of local residents mean most people travel to services, but there are frequently significant issues with public transport – a problem often compounded by road closures for events – meaning for many, and particularly older worshippers and families, the only option is to drive.

These people are already facing the financial costs of the Congestion Charge and the Ultra Low Emission Zone which have been extending to include Sundays.

Traffic on Sundays is already a tiny fraction of the weekday levels. Sunday parking charges will have a negligible effect on air quality and climate targets, but will hit City churches’ congregations hard when they are already struggling to get back to pre-Covid levels of attendance.

If the Sunday congregation diminishes further then St Bride’s may not survive intact into the future.

As the Rector said: “We are custodians of one of the most amazing bits of London heritage that there is. This church has been here for 1,500 years. Downstairs in the crypt there’s a Roman pavement dating back to AD 180. We care for this unfunded on behalf of the City and its people.”

We therefore call on the City of London Corporation to withdraw its proposal to introduce Sunday parking charges, and to work with local churches and community groups to ensure that the Square Mile remains open and accessible for all.

You can help by signing the petition or even better have your say by completing the Corporation’s online consultation survey at https://city-controlled-parking-zone.commonplace.is/ by Wednesday 1st July.