Diocesan News

The Dioceses Commission has now published the Draft Scheme and Report for the Yorkshire Dioceses. The Commission is now formally consulting on the draft scheme for the reorganisation of the dioceses of Bradford, Ripon & Leeds and Wakefield. The consultation period runs from 1 November 2011 until 30 April 2012. Comments can be sent to yorkshirereview@churchofengland.org or to the Diocesan Office by 25 February 2012. The report will be considered by Bradford Diocesan Synod on 3 March.

The main changes from the original report are:

• The new diocese would be called the Diocese of Leeds (not Wakefield). It could be referred to informally as the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales
• The cathedrals of the new diocese (Bradford, Ripon and Wakefield) would have equal status
• Provision is made for Leeds Parish Church to possibly become a pro-cathedral in the future
• Some new decisions have been made about boundaries, resulting in fewer parishes  moving to neighbouring dioceses

The full report, draft scheme, financial estimate and other supporting documents can all be downloaded from the Dioceses Commission website - www.diocom.org

Following the 6-month consultation period the Commission will consider the responses and decide whether or not to publish a scheme. If a scheme is published, the diocesan synods would be invited to consider it early in 2013, with a view to it coming before the General Synod in July 2013.