Elections

elections are to be held for

• Five laity vacancies on the Diocesan Board of Patronage (DBP).
• Three clerks in holy orders beneficed or licensed to a parish in the Diocese elected by the House of Clergy of the Diocesan Synod;

The term of membership of those elected to serve will expire in December 2030.  It is important that the DBP is properly constituted in the event of a vacancy arising in any of the benefices where the DBP is patron.

Composition of the Board

Under the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 the membership of the Diocesan Board of Patronage shall consist of:

i. the bishop of the diocese;

ii. three clerks in Holy Orders beneficed in or licensed to any parish in the diocese elected by             the house of clergy of the diocesan synod by the method of the single transferable vote;

iii. five lay persons elected by the house of laity of that synod by the method of the single                     transferable vote; and

iv. for the purpose of transacting any business relating to a particular benefice, the                                  archdeacon in whose archdeaconry, and both chairmen of the deanery synod of the                          deanery in which, that benefice is.

An archdeacon shall not be qualified to be elected under sub-paragraph (1)(ii).

The bishop of the diocese may nominate any suffragan bishop or area bishop holding office in the diocese to act in his place as a member of the Board on such occasions as he may determine.

The Board shall elect one of its members other than the bishop to be the chairman of the Board. Powers of the Board (under Section 27 of the Measure)

The powers of the Diocesan Board of Patronage are:

1. Subject to (2) below, the Board has the power to:
   1. acquire, hold and transfer any right of patronage,
   2. exercise any right of presentation or other incident to a right of patronage held by the Board;
2. Subject to (3) below, the Board shall not transfer any right of patronage held by it to any other person without the consent of the PCC of the parish or each of the parishes belonging to the benefice concerned unless the transfer is authorised by or under any enactment.
3. If a parish is transferred from a benefice in one diocese to a benefice in another diocese, the Board for the first-mentioned diocese may transfer its right of patronage to the Board of that other Diocese without the consent of the PCC of that parish;
4. Where the transfer of the right of patronage requires the consent of the PCC, any transfer of right effected without that consent shall be void.

Under the 1986 Measure, patronage may lapse to the Board of Patronage if patrons fail to comply with the terms of the Measure.

Elections for this triennium are for:

• Two lay persons being members of the House of Laity, elected by the House of Laity, both from the Kingston episcopal area

The form below should be returned by 12 noon on Thursday 27 March 2025: Charles Hudson-Beddows electronically to [email protected] or by post to Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London, SE1 1HW.

These Elections will take place solely online, using Single Transferable Vote. Information on how to vote through the digital system will be sent out to you when the voting period opens. Please fill in your election statement below, in no more than 200 words. These will be included in the voting portal.

Having entered a new triennium, the Diocesan Synod was required to elect members onto the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education (SDBE) Board. Members of the Board are responsible for ensuring the Board remains true to its Objects and Mission. The SDBE is a Charitable Company, limited by guarantee, responsible for 101 Church schools across the Diocese. The Board has approximately 19 members upto 9 of who are elected by Diocesan Synod. The SDBE Articles of Association require there to be two elected members from each Area, with 3 “free” positions that can be filled by members from any Area.

Their Vision

Developing Church of England Education

Their Mission

• To enable the mission of God through the work of the Board
  To be a high performing Diocesan Board promoting excellence in education both locally and nationally
• To develop and grow highly effective, inclusive Church of England Schools rooted in Christian values
• To celebrate and share the richness, quality and successes of our schools and chaplaincies
• To offer exemplary service to our schools and chaplaincies

Further information about the work of the SDBE can be found here

The places for this by-election are:

• two licensed or beneficed clergy from the Croydon Episcopal Area being members of the House of Clergy, elected by the House of Clergy. 
• two lay persons being members of the House of Laity, elected by the House of Laity from the Croydon Episcopal area
• three lay persons being members of the House of Laity, elected by the House of Laity from the Kingston Episcopal area
• two lay persons being members of the House of Laity elected by the House of Laity from any of the Episcopal areas

The Vacancy-in-See (ViS) Committee is established, in the event that there is a vacancy in the role of Diocesan Bishop, to act as Diocesan representatives and provide key roles in the selection of a new bishop. It is a statutory committee and is not intended to be used unless a vacancy arises.  The Committee prepares a brief description of the Diocese and a statement setting out the desired profile of the new bishop and elects the Diocesan representatives to the Crown Nominations Commission. The Committee meets at least twice during a vacancy and its Code of Practice and regulations can be found on the Church of England website. The table at Appendix 1 shows the current membership of the Committee. Additional background information can also be found at Appendix 2.

The following are to be elected to the ViS Committee by the Diocesan Synod:

• Two CLERKS IN HOLY ORDERS licensed or beneficed clergy proposed and seconded by a member of Diocesan Synod, elected by the Diocesan Synod
• Eight LAY PERSONS whose name appears on the electoral roll, across the Diocese and who are 16 and over, proposed and seconded by a member of Diocesan Synod, elected by the Diocesan Synod.

We would particularly welcome nominations for representatives from the Croydon and Woolwich areas as they are currently underrepresented on the Committee through ex-officio membership. Nominees do not need to be Diocesan Synod members. We welcome and encourage members from a wide range of church traditions, age and experience and we want to ensure that we represent the communities that we serve. As we continue to implement our Diocesan Anti-Racism Charter, we’re particularly seeking to increase representation of Global Majority Heritage/United Kingdom Minority Ethnic (GMH/UKME) peoples as ViS members.