THE PARISH RATE
The Parochial Church Council is empowered by current legislation to levy Rates, based on their rental value, on premises within the Parish which are occupied for business purposes. The church uses the money raised in service of the Parish. Payment of the Church Rate by your business is an historic duty still relevant today, with the financial world and the rest of the economy beset with crises.
A BIG THANK YOU to all the companies and ratepayers of the Parish who respond with payment, donations or offer support in other ways. The Rector was delighted to meet so many of you at the Christmas Carol Services which were even more popular this year. We hope you will watch the Events page and feel encouraged to come again. Our (free) training events are gradually becoming known too!
St Mary at Hill is the Parish and Ward Church of Billingsgate. The Parish takes its historic boundaries from ecclesiastical authority while the Ward describes constitutional boundaries defined by the Corporation of London. The two areas largely overlap, but are not exactly the same. While City parishes no longer carry on any local government - this has been taken over by the Ward - they remain the foundation of local charity and community. The Church building is available for the use of the parish and parishioners as well as the officers of the Ward. We love having you all hold get-togethers here. (See our picture gallery for views of the interior.) If you are interested in planning a special service or would like to look into using the church for a meeting or event, contact us. Our Parish Administrator, Linda, will be pleased to discuss ideas with you.
Our priest-in-charge, the Rev’d Canon Flora Winfield, is available to give help and guidance, or just listen, to people who work or live in the parish. She is a Territorial Army chaplain, and experienced in the challenges of the complexities and conflicts of life, as well as with City institutions. Contact Canon Flora
We can still all care for each other on a local scale, and be proud of the area where we work. Your local church remains in need of your continuing financial support. Our aged boiler has had to be replaced and the work has proved very costly. Heating is essential, of course, and an upgrade to the lavatories and kitchen is also being undertaken in the new year, despite a lack of funds to complete the project. We'll do as much as we can.
The Rate is negotiable. If you or your Finance Dept have any questions about the Parish Rate, please contact Joan.
All local firms are our parishioners; send us an email to receive advance notice of events in the church, for internal distribution to all your staff.