We reported in April that the Bishop of Salisbury had stepped back from ministry. The Church of England has now issued the following press release.
Clergy Discipline complaints against Bishop of Salisbury
07/09/2026
An investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by the Bishop of Salisbury Stephen Lake has concluded. A disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has now been brought against him.
Subsequent to these allegations, concerns relating to Bishop Stephen’s conduct were raised with the National Safeguarding Team. These have been taken very seriously and responded to according to House of Bishops Code of Practice. A second and separate disciplinary complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure has been brought against Bishop Stephen in relation to these concerns.
Bishop Stephen remains stepped back from ministry.
If this statement causes distress, support is available through the independent Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or visit safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the diocesan safeguarding team in your area or the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
Other support services are also available.
3 Commentspress release 3 September: Rosie Slater-Carr appointed Chief Executive of Church Commissioners for England
Rosie Slater-Carr has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Church Commissioners for England, which supports the Church of England’s mission and ministry across the country.
As Chief Executive, she is responsible for overseeing the Church Commissioners’ £11.6bn endowment fund. The fund contributes about a fifth of the Church’s running costs every year, as well as providing a range of vital services to the Church.
Rosie has been Interim Chief Executive since March, having stepped up from her previous role of Chief Operating Officer (COO)…
…Rosie joined the Church Commissioners as Chief Operating Officer in 2020, having previously worked as Chief Information Officer at the British Red Cross, as IT Director at The Children’s Society, and as a part-time Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Philosophy of Science at Birkbeck College, University of London. She also worked at IBM and PA Consulting.
She holds a degree in PPE from Oxford and an MSC in Cognitive Science and Informatics.
As background to this, it seems that we failed to report the resignation of her predecessor on 30 March this year. John Worth had been in post for less than a year. Here are the relevant press releases
John Worth steps down as Chief Executive of the Church Commissioners
John Worth appointed Chief Executive of Church Commissioners for England
3 Comments
The Rt Revd Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, has announced that she will retire in February 2027 when she reaches the Scottish Episcopal Church’s retirement age of 70. Details are in this press release: Bishop Anne Dyer to retire after nine years in Aberdeen & Orkney.
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140 CommentsThe Church Times reports: Campaigners call for removal of senior church officers ‘resisting’ safeguarding reforms
THE senior church officers who, according to an INEQE review, are resisting safeguarding reforms, must be “removed from influence”, a group of campaigners have told the Archbishops.
The letter, sent on Sunday and signed by 20 people — including both complainants and respondents in safeguarding cases — calls for an “independent urgent review” of safeguarding in the Church…
The letter described in this article can be read in full here.
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78 CommentsThe Church of England has released its Cathedral Statistics 2025, and an accompanying press release which is copied below.
Attendance at Cathedral services rises for fifth year running
31/07/2026
A total of 32,600 people attended weekly services – such as Evensong, Morning and Evening Prayer or Sunday Eucharist – at Church of England cathedrals in 2025. Sunday attendance was up notably among adults, at eight per cent higher than in 2024.
(more…)
It has been announced from 10 Downing Street that the next Bishop of Leeds is to be the Rt Revd Toby Howarth, currently Area Bishop of Bradford in the diocese of Leeds. There is further coverage on the Leeds diocesan website.
11 CommentsAppointment of the Bishop of Leeds: 31 July 2026
This appointment was approved by The King on the advice of the previous Prime Minister.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street
Published: 31 July 2026The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr. Toby Matthew Howarth, Suffragan Bishop of Bradford in the Diocese of Leeds, for election as Bishop of Leeds, in succession to The Right Reverend Nicholas Baines following his retirement.
Background
Toby was educated at Yale University, Birmingham University and the Free University of Amsterdam, and trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at St. Augustine, in the Diocese of Derby, and was ordained Priest in 1993. From 1995, Bishop Howarth served as a study partner with Crosslinks and The Netherlands Reformed Mission League in India and, in 2000, he was appointed Evangelist at the Pilgrim Father’s Church in Rotterdam. From 2002, Toby served as Tutor with the Church Mission Society at Crowther Hall, Selly Oak, in the Diocese of Birmingham and was made Vice-Principal in 2003.
In 2004, Bishop Howarth was appointed as Priest-in-Charge, Springfield St. Christopher, additionally serving as Inter-Faith Adviser to the Bishop of Birmingham from 2005. He served as Secretary for Inter-Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Adviser for Inter-Religious Affairs from 2011.
In 2014, Bishop Howarth took up his current role as Bishop of Bradford, and has been serving additionally as Acting Bishop of Leeds since 2025.
The Ineqe Safeguarding Group has released its Second Annual Report covering the Independent Safeguarding Audits of the Church of England.
There is a covering statement from the Lead Auditor, Jim Gamble. This is copied in full below the fold.
The Church Times has published this news article: Church of England safeguarding progress being resisted at high level, says INEQE
The full report can be downloaded from here. Two paragraphs from the Foreword:
…In last year’s annual report, we expressed concern that some areas were delaying the adoption of recommendations, choosing instead to wait for the outcome of the Future of Church Safeguarding Report. We warned then that risk does not pause, meaning safeguarding cannot wait. A year later, only the excuse has changed: auditors now hear that some are waiting for the outcome of the Safeguarding Structures Programme. I wonder what we will hear next year, but our core message remains the same: ignoring evidence-based recommendations invites risk. While it makes sense to wait for decisions on wider structural issues beyond parish and diocesan operational delivery, stalling on the reconfiguration of frontline teams makes no sense. Furthermore, the audit identified no evidence that would justify delaying operationally independent Directors of Safeguarding covering dioceses and cathedrals.
Crucially, the primary inhibitors of progress do not stem from senior clergy, most of whom demonstrate a genuine desire for change. Instead, they are structural and, in certain cases, institutional. They arise from
a small group of influential senior officers at the diocesan level and certain individuals within the national Church. This resistance manifests in unhelpful and frustrating ways, such as a readiness to hide behind exceptionalism, canon law, tradition, and procedural defensiveness. It is evident in the pushback against recommendations designed to secure the operational independence of safeguarding (including the Director of Safeguarding role), in challenges to the scope of the audits, and in unresolved conflicts of interest, specifically, where those advising the Church as an institution are simultaneously expected to provide ‘safeguarding-first’ advice. Though those responsible are few in number, their impact is disproportionately significant, and this must be addressed…
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Fergus Butler-Gallie The Critic Missionaries, not management consultants
55 CommentsI missed this when it was announced last month, but the Right Rev Ian Paton will retire as Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane on 1 November this year. Details are on the website of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
16 CommentsColin Coward Unadulterated Love How do we change the House of Bishops?
Robert Thompson ViaMedia.News Where’s My Bishop?
Michelle Burns Guarding the Flock The Church Doesn’t Have a Confessional Problem. It Has a Culture Problem.
Simon Robinson The Warrington Guardian Bishop of Warrington reflects on inclusion and Pride service
138 CommentsThe voting lists from this month’s meeting of General Synod are now available; see separate post. Readers may be particularly interested in how the bishops voted (or did not vote) on Helen King’s private member’s motion on same-sex relationships. The motion, as amended, was
That this Synod
a) affirm that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ;
b) delight in the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England;
c) recognise a legitimate range of theological perspectives, held in good conscience, across the Church of England, on the right ordering of committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships, and;
d) recognise that this includes views that affirm and views that reject the position that there are no fundamental objections to being in such a relationship and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.
It was lost as the bishops voted 14 to 11 against, with 4 abstentions. Here are the names from the published list.
Bishops For
Bishops Against
Bishops Abstaining
There are 53 members of the House of Bishops, although some places are vacant. Those who did not vote were:
Diocesan bishops are numbers 1 to 42; Dover (ex officio) is 43, the Bishop to the Forces is 44, and the elected suffragans are 45 to 53. Note that suffragan bishops who attend Synod to represent their diocese during a vacancy in see are not eligible to vote, unless, like Sherborne, they happen to also be one of the elected suffragans.
89 CommentsThe electronic voting results from this month’s meeting of General Synod are now available online. These contain the names of voting members and how they voted.
The full text of motions can be found in the official record of Business Done.
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37 CommentsIt was announced yesterday that the Revd Canon Andrew Dodd will be the next Dean of Coventry. He is currently Canon Treasurer at Canterbury Cathedral. The full announcement is here.
26 CommentsAs most readers will be aware General Synod debated a private member’s motion on same-sex relationships on Monday. After amendment it was put to the vote in the following form
That this Synod
a) affirm that all baptised, believing and faithful persons regardless of sexual orientation are full members of the Body of Christ;
b) delight in the lives and ministries of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England;
c) recognise a legitimate range of theological perspectives, held in good conscience, across the Church of England, on the right ordering of committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships, and;
d) recognise that this includes views that affirm and views that reject the position that there are no fundamental objections to being in such a relationship and that such a relationship can be entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.
It was lost following a counted vote by houses. The voting was as follows:
For Against Recorded Abstentions Bishops 11 14 4 Clergy 93 79 0 Laity 101 83 0
In a vote by houses there has to be majority in favour in each house for the motion to be passed. As the majority of bishops voted against, the motion was lost even though the total votes were 205 in favour and 176 against.
The motion was originally proposed by Helen King, but illness meant that she was unable to attend Synod in person and the motion was proposed by Muriel Robinson. Synod members were provided with papers by Professor King and by the Secretary General.
Helen King attended remotely and has written about the debate here: Synod At Home (3) – Long Monday.
There is a Church Times report here: Motion affirming no fundamental objections to ‘committed, intimate, same-sex’ relationships falls in House of Bishops, and Colin Coward has blogged here: The House of Bishops does not control our intimate, sexual lives.
165 Comments