- 52 -
"... there is a small collection box there which in the course of a
year tends to bring in about £100 - £200 ...". If those figures are
evaluated they produce a very low per capita donation and therefore
suggest considerable potential). It seems probable that the commit-
ment to Phase One can be made within three months and that work should
be completed within a further six months.
Whether the parish can then proceed into Phase Two will depend
on the financial result of Phase One. In particular, on whether the
public appeal has yielded an excess over the £10,000 needed for Phase
One sufficiently large to meet the 50 per cent of the (as yet uncalcu-
lated) cost of Phase Two; and on how close the actual costs have been
to estimate. (Since the government grant is 50 per cent of actual
expenditure on approved work, it follows that the parish need to find
only half of any over-run, but conversely only benefit from half of
any shortfall.) When, in due course, these data become available it
could be useful to have them tabulated in such a way as to become a
guide to other parishes which may find themselves facing similar
problems.
2.6.5.2 Summary
If an asset is serving two purposes - in this case a church
serving both worshippers and tourists - it is normal management
accounting to allocate the costs and the incomes between the two.
In the case of St. James' this is not being consciously done with
current revenue, yet it is being done on the major capital works.
Why, if it is proper to seek extra-parochial funds for restoring it
as a place of worship, is it not proper to seek income from those who
come to view it as an historic building? The question, pending deeper
research, must remain unanswered, but there are general lessons from
St. James' which could have wider applications.
