2022-06-30-accounts

TRUSTEES’ REPORT 2022

The Ecclesiastical Law Society is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registered charity no 1181002) whose registered office is at 1 The Sanctuary, London SW1P 3JT. The Trustees of the Charity for this reporting period were:

Elizabeth Wilson (Chair) The Rt Rev’d Martin Warner (Vice Chair) The Rev’d Paul Benfield (Treasurer) Chancellor Ruth Arlow The Ven Moira Astin Paul Barber The Rev’d Stephen Coleman Lee Coley Edward Dobson Frances Godden The Rev’d Sam Maginnis Anne-Marie Organ The Rev’d Neil Patterson The Rev’d Christopher Smith

The objects of the CIO as stated in our Constitution are:

The objects (“Objects”) of the CIO are:

To promote education in ecclesiastical law for the benefit of the public including in particular but not exclusively:

• (a) the clergy and laity of the Church of England;

• (b) those who hold authority or judicial office in, or practise in the ecclesiastical courts of, the Church of England; and

• (c) students and teachers of ecclesiastical law.

The Trustees are pleased to report that during the calendar year 2022 these objects were furthered in all of the activities and meetings of the Society and the Trustees wish to record their thanks to all those, Officers, members and service providers for their work in maintaining the life and witness of the Society in 2022.

Like most organisations, the Society emerged from the pandemic period having learnt a variety of new ways of providing meetings of, and sustenance for,

members during the rigours of lockdowns. Our experience in the provision of online lectures and seminars was enhanced when assembly in person was limited and this learning is being carried forward to further enhance our work of education and training. However, we were delighted to hold this year’s annual meeting in person rather than as in the previous two years, virtually. This AGM was held on 2[nd] April during the course of the Day Conference. We are grateful to the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Alban’s Holborn for their hospitality. Over 60 members attended at some point during the day and there was significant discussion around the theme of Synodical governance: past, present and future. The trustees are grateful to the speakers who made major contributions to the day: The Rt Rev’d Pete Broadbent, The Rev’d Canon Professor Alison Milbank and Professor Norman Doe.

During the annual meeting The Rt Rev’d Martin Warner was elected Vice Chair; The Rev’d Paul Benfield was elected Treasurer and Chancellor Ruth Arlow, The Ven Moira Astin, Paul Barber, The Rev’d Stephen Coleman and Frances Godden were elected as Charity Trustees.

The meeting received the annual accounts of the Charity which had been independently examined and these, with the Treasurer’s report are appended at the end of this report. The Society relies almost entirely on its members for its income. In the 2021/22 year we had sponsorship for The Principles of Canon Law publication but this only offset the costs incurred in 2022/23.

In the past the Journal has resulted in a royalty payment but this amount has diminished year on year as the commercial model of Cambridge University Press (CUP) combined with a changed market and increasing unit costs has made this a less significant stream of income. Going forward this will only reduce and the Trustees will need to review the costs of the Journal and the potential impact on membership rates.

Membership income was up in 2021/22 (£31k (£28k prior year)) in part due to a membership drive with new General Synod Members and with a more assertive renewals process.

In 2021/22 we engaged a third person to support the running of the charity. Trustees will keep under review the costs of support and the benefits gained from having an Executive Team. The full year cost of the Executive Team is £17k. For comparison in 2019/20 this cost was £24k.

Admin costs are kept to a minimum with the only notable increase being in the provision of the Canon Law lectures at Theological Educational Institutes. This has proved popular and Trustees may look at expanding this area of activity.

During the course of the annual meeting The Rt Rev’d Colin Buchanan, a member of the Society, asked that the Trustees consider the use of a system of single transferable voting for all our elections rather than the first past the post system currently employed. Bishop Colin gave his reasons why he made the request and was happy to accept the commitment of the Chair to take the matter to Trustees in connection with a proposed review of the Constitution. The Trustees will report the outcome of their deliberations to the meeting next year.

The Trustees met on four occasions in 2022: in person on 9 February (followed by a much delayed farewell and thank you dinner for the past Chairman, Mark Hill KC), and virtually on 27 April, 27 July and 12 October. The Trustees decided during the year that, with an effective Executive Team in place who meet monthly with the Chair via Zoom, the Standing Committee was no longer necessary. Dates of the team meetings are made available to Trustees who are able to join any meeting if they wish.

In our governance procedures, and in all activities referred to hereafter, the trustees confirm that they have compiled with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or other duties.

In addition to the day conference already referred to, a lecture programme was delivered, mostly virtually. These lectures, in the past limited to delivery in London and Leeds, were available to all members (and others) via Zoom. This greater accessibility has resulted in an informal group of members being set up in Australia and New Zealand. As well as this very welcome development, the International Lectures have been repeated this year and the Society has benefited from the wisdom and experience of practitioners around the globe.

The Trustees are grateful to the training sub-committee who delivered a very well attended seminar on parish governance. This was so well received that we have received requests that it should be repeated. Once again, many of our online lectures and seminars were recorded and have subsequently appeared on the Society’s Youtube channel.

The revised edition of The Principles of Canon Law Common to the Churches of the Anglican Communion were duly published. The Trustees contributed to the publication and were represented at the launch held at the Lambeth Conference.

The Trustees wish to thank those who have contributed towards the development of our previously published curricula for the study of ecclesiastical law. The work reported in prospect in last year’s annual report has been delivered most successfully and it is likely to grow in coming years. Members will be delighted to know that the Trustees paid for the initial development of a module for use in training institutions. It is particularly satisfying to report that some of our funds (from memberships fees) have been directed to this task which has been well received by those engaged in the theological formation of future ministers.

The Society’s Newsletter, edited by Frances Godden, has been distributed regularly to members via email. Frances wishes to keep this publication fresh and accessible and, in order to do so, will be grateful to receive contributions and comments.

The Eric Kemp prize for 2022 was awarded to Erin Carus who is study at Oxford Brookes. The work she submitted addressed the question, “Should any beliefs be excluded from protection as religious beliefs because of their content?”. We offer our congratulations to Erin.

The Trustees record their gratitude to all those whose time and talent have been employed in furthering the aims of the Society in the past year. We look forward to developing the scope of our work in the coming year.

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 30 JUNE 2022

charity number 1181002

----- Start of picture text -----
Note 2021/22 2020/21
RECEIPTS s
£
Members' subscriptions 3 31,120 28,783
CUP royalty payments 7 3,928 0
Conference Income 2,552 180
Sales: M. Hill Ecclesiastical Law 360
Sponsorship 1,163
Other income 256 300
Interest received 60 9
Total Receipts 39,079 29,632
PAYMENTS
Journal costs 4 9,000 9,000
Conference and events costs
Conference 3,738
Lectures 368 712
Grants Awards and Presentations 300
Education 1,798
Administration costs:
Website and other online costs 2,943 2,734
Administration 5 16,811 14,524
Trustee Expenses 6 447
Independent examiner’s fees 600 660
Bank and subscription collection charges 547 573
Total Payments 36,252 28,503
Surplus/(Deficit) of Receipts over Payments 2,827 1,129
Current assets at beginning of year 59,963 58,834
Current assets at end of year 62,790 59,963
Cash at Bankers: COIF Deposit 17,995 17,962
CAF Bank 44,795 42,001
Total Current Assets 62,790 59,963
----- End of picture text -----

Notes to accounts for the year ending 30 June 2022:

1. All the funds of the Society are unrestricted as defined by the Charities Act 2011.

2. These accounts cover the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022

3. Members’ subscriptions are collected by Direct Debit, BACS and card payments via the Society's website, and recorded on a cash basis.

4. The Society pays honoraria to the Editor and the Consultant Editor of the Journal. In 2021/22 these totalled £9,000.

5. The administrative costs include the fees paid to three service providers – the Executive Secretary, the Finance Officer and the Communications Officer (the last of whom arrived during the year). Their fees totalled £15,613. Administration expenses totalled £1,798 representing travel and office costs.

6. Trustee Expenses are now shown separately for clarity.

7. These are 2020 Royalties received late in 2021/22; 2021 Journal Royalties were received after 30 June 2022 (£2,867)

8. Payments of £450 were made to a Trustee, Stephen Coleman, for his services as a trainer in Canon Law.

Paul Benfield Treasurer

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