Sir, Anne Robinson’s letter (June 26) raises important issues, which at this period of financial stringency need urgent attention by the Church of England. As a Church Commissioner from 1978 to 1995 and latterly on its bishoprics committee, I became deeply concerned, together with other members, at the cost of preserving a lifestyle for bishops that long ago passed its sell-by date.
Fifteen years later this is even more the case, as parishes struggle for financial survival. Yet between 2003 and 2007 the cost of maintaining the houses and gardens of bishops’ residences rose from £3.5 million to £7.9 million — from an average of about £80,000 to £180,000. Over that four-year period, the total expenditure amounted to nearly £670,000 per house, though bishops living in more modest accommodation than those occupying medieval castles and palaces would cost considerably less than that average figure.
A thorough and independent review is urgently required, not only about the housing costs of bishops but also of the everyday expenses they claim. The most expensive bishop in 2008 claimed no less than £3,600 a week, itself an increase of 27 per cent on the previous year. No credit crunch here and something of an emerging scandal for the Church of England.
The Ven George Austin
Archdeacon Emeritus of York