Cathedrals Measure

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Thursday 22nd April 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Cormack (Con) [V]]

My Lords, I begin with an apology. I have been speaking from within the Chamber for many weeks now, but because King’s Cross station is closed tomorrow and I had to get back to Lincoln, I am here. I thought I would be zooming in on your Lordships. In fact, I am speaking on a telephone because my computer has gone down, so a double apology.

I am tempted to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, but will not do so, although the temptation is all the greater because we have recently had our Bishop in Lincoln suspended for 20 months. He is now back, but as an example of natural justice it does not bear close examination.

I want to talk about the Cathedrals Measure. I had a wonderful compensation for not being with your Lordships tonight, because when I went across, as I thought, for evening prayer in our glorious cathedral in Lincoln, we were actually having the first service at evensong in our marvellous St Hugh’s Choir since early March last year and the first lockdown. It was a wonderful spiritual upliftment.

I will of course support this Measure. It has had unanimous support in General Synod, a body on which I served for some 10 years. But I will raise one or two points and would be grateful if the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham would either reply this evening or write to me.

While I accept the logic of cathedrals coming within the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission, it has not had an easy time of late and I want to be completely satisfied that it will be able to cope with this extra workload. It is a matter that I raised on the Ecclesiastical Committee in February, but I remain a bit concerned.

I am also a little concerned about the abolition, after only 20 years, of cathedral councils. I know they had a variable record, but some cathedrals relied on them very much. I would like the reassurance of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham that cathedrals will be able to have councils or their equivalent if they so choose. I accept, with regret, that they will not be statutory, but hope that, where a functioning council is working well, it will be able to continue, perhaps under another name, if that is the wish of the dean and chapter.

I am also a little concerned about the senior non-executive who will chair the wider chapter in the absence of the dean. I hope that careful rules will be put in place to govern the selection of that extremely important person, who could give great help to the cathedral, but could also be divisive. I say that because we in Lincoln were one of the two reasons—Hereford being the other—for the Cathedrals Measure of 1999, following the investigation of the Howe commission. Lincoln had a bad period during the 1990s and I would not like to see the seeds of discord sown in this Measure. I hope that the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham can make some reassuring comments.

As for delay, it is important that the new Measure comes into force speedily and expeditiously. Many of us will look to it to show that the Church of England can act in a seemly and speedy way, when necessary. The track record at the moment—I referred to the suspension of our bishop here in Lincoln—is not good, and the noble Baroness, Lady Harris, underlined the great deal of concern that there is in the country as a whole over the way in which the Church of England conducts itself.

I rest my case there. I wish the Measure every success and hope that it leads to better governance of our cathedrals. They are the glories of our land, the most important group of historic buildings in the country. They are priceless and must be maintained for future generations. I again apologise for having to address your Lordships’ House over a telephone line.