Lichfield Cathedral Constitution and Statutes:
Notice of Formal Consultation
What is happening?
Lichfield Cathedral is updating its Constitution and Statutes.
Why is this happening?
In 2017, a Church of England working group reviewed and made recommendations on the governance and regulation of all cathedrals. These recommendations formed the basis of the new Cathedrals Measure 2021 which was passed by the General Synod in 2018 and received Royal Assent in 2021.
What will change, and how does this apply to Lichfield Cathedral?
All cathedrals in England are required to prepare a new set of Constitutions and Statutes and must also apply to the Charity Commission of England and Wales (‘the Charity Commission’) for registration as a charity, supported by the Church Commissioners. Once registered by the Charity Commission, the cathedral will be co-regulated by the Church Commissioners and the Charity Commission.
Some of the key changes for Lichfield Cathedral are:
- As a result of the Charity Commission registration, members of the Chapter will be subject to the oversight of the Charity Commission, rather than just the Church Commissioners
- The three bodies that currently form the governing corporation of Lichfield Cathedral – Chapter, Cathedral Council, and the College of Canons – will change. Chapter will be reconstituted as the sole governing and oversight body for the Cathedral.
- The Cathedral Council will cease to exist, and the College of Canons will no longer be part of the “body corporate” nor have any formal governance role.
The executive members of the Chapter will be:
- the Dean
- the residentiary canons
Non-executive members of the Chapter will be:
- whichever other persons are appointed in accordance with the revised Constitution.
The Chapter must have more non-executive members than executive members and at least two-thirds of the non-executive members must be lay persons. The Chapter must have at least eight members but no more than twelve (or a number sufficiently high to ensure there are more lay members than executive).
The Bishop is required to appoint a Senior Non- Executive Member (SNEM) who will be the Vice-Chair of the Chapter.
The Cathedral is required to form a Nominations Committee which will have Terms of Reference drafted by the Church Commissioners, and which are amended and adopted by Lichfield Cathedral’s Chapter. The Committee’s responsibility will be to nominate individuals to the Dean and to the Chapter to be considered for appointment to the Chapter and its committees. There will be two further required Chapter committees – Finance Committee and Audit & Risk Committee. Chapter is also able to form additional committees as it feels appropriate.
The Finance Committee was already a requirement under Lichfield Cathedral’s existing Constitution and Statutes. However, Lichfield has been operating a Nominations Committee, and an Audit and Risk Committee (as part of the Finance meeting) for several years.
The Nominations Committee will also, as a priority, consider how it can achieve a fully diverse and inclusive governance structure and one which reflects our diocesan community, specifically including those from under-represented backgrounds.
The new Constitution and Statutes have been drafted with the help of expert ecclesiastical lawyers using templates provided and approved by the Church Commissioners. The Bishop of Lichfield, the Cathedral Council, Chapter, the Church Commissioners, and the Charity Commissioners have all seen and are content with the drafted documents, subject to anything arising from the public consultation.
Viewing the Constitution and Statutes
You can download a copy of both documents using the links below:
Printed copies are available for viewing at:
- The Verger Office, Lichfield Cathedral
- Visitor Services Desk, Lichfield Cathedral
- The Chapter Office, 19a, The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD
The Chapter Office is open 09:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays.
For service times click here
For visitor opening time click here