ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE’S MP has met with faith leaders to discuss the local impact of national investment to protect their communities.
A £73.4 million fund from the Government will enable protective security at Muslim, Jewish and other sites.
The money will be available in 2026/27 and will pay for on-site security staff and equipment such as CCTV, fencing, intruder alarms and floodlights.
And Angela Rayner spoke to Imams and the management committee at Masjid-e-Hamzah mosque, on the town’s Mowbray Street, to discuss what could be implemented in her constituency through the fund.
Local police forces have stepped up patrols in at-risk areas, and the Government has given police more powers and resources to manage intimidating protests, investigate religious hate crimes and support communities who feel targeted.
The 2025 hate crime statistics for England and Wales show overall religious hate crime was at all-time record levels.
Just under half of all incidents targeted Muslims while recent statistics showed antisemitic incidents were at their second-highest levels since records began.
Up to £40 million will be available through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme, which supports mosques, Muslim schools and community centres.
While up to £28.4 million will be available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, which is managed by the Community Security Trust (CST), for measures at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres.
Eligible organisations can apply on a rolling basis directly with the Home Office and the application window opens later this year.
Last October, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the Jewish and Muslim protective security schemes would receive an additional £10 million uplift in 2025 to 2026 to respond to increased threats.
Meanwhile, the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, which is for all non-Jewish or Muslim faiths, will receive an uplift of £1.5 million, bringing the total available to protect Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and other faith sites to a record £5 million.
Ms Rayner said: “Nobody should be forced to live a smaller life in this country because of their faith.
“We saw two people arrested following an incident at Manchester Central Mosque and last October, two people were killed at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester.
“This funding will protect places of worship, faith-based schools and community centres across the country. We will never tolerate religious hatred or intimidation.”