Harman attempts to remove bishops from Lords
A FURTHER attempt is being made to remove bishops from the House of Lords (News, 20/27 December 2024). On Tuesday, the Labour peer and former Leader of the Opposition Baroness Harman tabled an amendment to the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill in the form of a new clause that, if enacted, would begin a two-year process of removing the Lords Spiritual. The Bill is next due to be debated at Committee Stage in the Lords on a date to be confirmed.
Former choirmaster sentenced to further 12 years
A FORMER organist and choirmaster of St Mary’s, Beddington, Andrew Simon Wilson, who is serving 12 years in prison for 19 offences against boys in Sussex, London, and Germany, including 16 against three boys aged between nine and 14 (News, 22 February 2019), was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court last Friday for a further 12 years for another 11 counts of sexual abuse of children. The offences related to his time at St Mary’s, Beddington, and were against three victims, one of whom has taken his life. Mr Wilson, who is 63, had been due to be released on 15 February, but entered a guilty plea on the day of sentencing. The Recorder, Miss Caroline Carberry KC, said that he had not spared his victims the distress of preparing for a trial — two victims and the mother of the deceased chorister gave victim impact statements in person during the hearing — and said that the Prison Service had considered him unsuitable for rehabilitation courses. He will serve a minimum of eight years. The diocese of Southwark said in a statement that it was “deeply sorry” for the suffering of his victims.
Pensions Board agrees new maintenance contract
THE Church of England Pensions Board has agreed a new national repairs and maintenance contract with the property maintenance providers OCS Group, after a “rigorous tender process”, it was announced on Thursday. The Board manages about 1200 homes for retired clergy. OCS will carry out routine and reactive building repairs and maintenance on these homes, as well as statutory property-safety checks. Tom England, the Board’s Director of Housing, said: “OCS impressed us with their focus on quality and customer service, and residents will see a range of improvements in the service they receive — including quicker scheduling of appointments and better tracking of any follow-up repairs.”
Peterborough gets one third of way to target
PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL has raised £100,000 towards its £300,000 fund-raising target after launching a crisis appeal this month to meet essential costs and carry out urgent repairs (News, 17 January). “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has contributed to the campaign so far,” the head of marketing and communications, Paul Stainton, said. “Reaching £100,000 is a significant milestone, but our journey doesn’t end here.”
Cornish ringers appeal to renew, not retune
A PROJECT to install a ring of ten bells in St Clarus’s, St Cleer, on the edge of Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall, has raised two-thirds of the required £150,000. The money has been generated through fund-raising events, grants, and donations. A JustGiving page has been launched and grant-giving bodies are being approached to bring in the remaining £50,000. The ring of four that was in place in 1551 was later increased to six. There are still six today: the oldest three date from 1789. The tower captain, Ian Banbury, planned to increase the ring after considering the cost and practicality of overhauling and retuning the six. “Lowering the bells through three floors is a major undertaking,” he said. “There is a limit to the number of times bells can be retuned, and it is likely that ours have reached the end of that road. Given this, the idea of renewing the bells and adding extras became a more practical option.”
Safeguarding in faith communities tackled again
THE All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Safeguarding in Faith Communities has reconvened for the first time since the General Election. The meeting on Monday was attended by MPs from the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties, and representatives from the House of Lords, with a focus on grooming gangs and mandatory reporting (News, 10 January). The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, who co-chairs the APPG, said: “By working together, we have tackled some of the most pressing issues related to safeguarding in faith communities, especially regarding positions of trust and mandatory reporting. We remain committed to our mission to ensure that faith communities are safe spaces for all.”
Government pledges, but Climate and Nature Bill falls
THE Climate and Nature Bill, which had strong backing from faith and charity leaders (News, 17 January), failed to progress past its Second Reading in the House of Commons last Friday, after MPs voted by 120 to seven to adjourn the debate. The Bill, which was proposed by the Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage, sought to enshrine in law a target to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and to take action to halt biodiversity loss. It also sought to mandate the formation of an independent Climate and Nature Assembly, comprising members of the general public, to make further proposals on environmental action. Instead, the Government agreed to engage with various bodies on the issues, and pointed to its current policy commitments to tackling climate change.
Environment protester to stay longer in jail
A CLIMATE protester, Gaie Delap, 78, who was recalled to prison because her wrists were too small to fit an electronic monitoring tag, has been told that she must serve a further 20 days in prison for being “unlawfully at large” during that time. Ms Delap was sentenced to 20 months for a climate protest on the M25 in November 2022, as part of the campaign group Just Stop Oil, and was released in December to serve the remaining four-and-a-half months of her sentence on home detention. In the same month, she was recalled to HM Prison Peterborough because the Electronic Monitoring Service, which operates the electronic-tagging service, on contract to the Ministry of Justice, could not fit the appropriate size of curfew tag (News, 20/27 December 2024). Ms Delap has been informed that she is to remain in prison until 7 April. Her brother, Mick Delap, said: “There has been a deafening silence from the Ministry of Justice since Gaie’s return to prison, despite numerous appeals from her family, friends, and her MP.”
Education conference focuses on ‘flourishing’
REPRESENTATIVES of the education sector gathered in London for the seventh annual conference of the Church of England’s Education Office, the National Society, last week, at which its most recent report, Flourishing Together (News, 22 November 2024), was presented. The report is to be the basis of a new Flourishing Leaders Programme, launched at the conference, which is to focus on “purpose, relationships, resources, learning, and wellbeing” among teachers and students.
Correction: Earlier this month we incorrectly stated that the Bishop of Bristol remains on X (News, 17 January). In fact, Bishop Faull has not had an account on X since the end of last year.