Mosques "waiting months" for funding promised after Peacehaven attack
The government pledged £10 million to up security when Peacehaven Mosque's door was set alight last October
There's concerns mosques have been waiting months for funding promised to help boost security after an arson attack in East Sussex.
The government pledged £10 million to protect them from hate crime when Peacehaven Mosque's door was set alight last October, while people were still inside.
But the British Muslim Trust, who have recorded incidents of anti-Muslim hatred, said a backlog was forming because the funding could be devolved from the Home Office to local areas potentially through mayoral authorities.
It's Chief Executive Akeela Ahmed said: “We are seeing a steady rise in the number of attacks against mosques, and we believe the Government should be doing everything it can to help mosques protect themselves.
“Asking for evidence that you’re being targeted is the equivalent of shutting the stable door when the horse has bolted.
"A mosque is vulnerable purely because it’s a mosque.
"“Currently, they’re waiting for months, while living in fear of another attack, because of the backlog. In many cases, police aren’t even responding to low-level incidents, leaving people frightened and vulnerable.
"“It is great that this funding and initiative exists, but we need to recognise that the momentum on attacks is building, and we need to react and prepare for this.
"Community members have described, in their own words, feeling ‘scared for their life’ and feeling the need to ‘protect themselves’ by staying at home in fear.
"“We recommend exploring better ways to get the funding to mosques as smoothly as possible including that the fund is devolved in order to speed up its delivery, especially given recent events.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Muslims in the UK face appalling levels of religious hate crime. It’s crucial that they not only are safe but feel safe.
“This Government has increased funding for protective security at mosques, Muslim faith schools and community centres to record levels – up to £40 million in 2026/27.
“We are working to process all applications as quickly as possible.”
The latest annual Government data on police-recorded religious hate crime in England and Wales, published by the Home Office in October, showed that anti-Muslim hate crime rose by almost a fifth from 2,690 offences recorded in the 12 months to March 2024 to 3,199 offences in the year ending March 2025.