From the Chief Executive of the Church Urban Fund
Sir, — I am writing in response to a report on the London apportionment (
News, 16 July) in which it is stated that the London diocese has seen a
significant jump in its contributions to, among others, the Church Urban Fund.
This is untrue.
The Church Urban Fund has since 2002 experienced an overall decrease of 27
per cent in its funding from the Archbishops’ Council, and the contribution
from the London diocese is £14,000 or three-quarters of one per cent of its
total. It should also be noted that in the past financial year the Church Urban
Fund awarded more than £325,000 to support local initiatives in the diocese,
and, since CUF’s launch in the mid-1980s, well over £6 million has been awarded
to address profound community need in the diocese.
We have been pleased to support the London diocese in its task of mission in
this way, and look forward to continuing to do so. These figures provide much
to celebrate, not just in terms of good stewardship, but also in the lives of
significant numbers of people on the margins of society who are seeing lasting
and postive change for the better.
FRAN BECKETT
1 Millbank,
London SW1P 3JZ
From the Diocesan Secretary of Southwark
Sir, — Twice now I have seen in print a comment from the Archbishops’
Council press office that concern over the apportionment to dioceses of the
cost of the Archbishops’ Council had not been raised at the Inter-Diocesan
Finance Forum meeting. This is not true.
I raised this during discussion on this very subject on behalf of Southwark
diocese, indicating not only my concern at the increase notified to us before
the meeting, but that a further apportionment calculation tabled at the meeting
indicated an even greater cost, and that this was increasingly hard to justify.
SIMON J. B. PARTON
Southwark Diocesan Office,
Trinity House,
4 Chapel Court,
Borough High Street,
London SE1 1HW