To: Parochial and District Church Council Secretaries Cc: Incumbents and Churchwardens email only January 2018 Dear PCC Secretary 2018 ANNUAL MEETINGS This letter contains information to help you run your Church s Annual Meetings. As there are several forms to refer to, I have produced an index to them at the end of this letter and on the website referring to each by a short code. This code also appears at the start of the electronic file names that have been emailed to those of you able to receive email. You can also find all these forms on the Diocesan Website. This year I have included a section at the bottom of each form telling you for how long copies should be kept locally, and whether you need to send the form anywhere else. You can find these forms without the local code and instructions at http://www.parishresources.org.uk/pccs/apcms/. It does not matter which version you use. Annual parochial church meeting and meeting for election of churchwardens 1. You will know that you need to have an Annual Meeting on or before the 30 th April 2018. I attach a standard form of notice for advertising this meeting (M1). You should also have a separate meeting to elect Churchwardens, before 30 th April 2018 and so I also attach a form of notice for advertising this meeting (C1). Though in practice it is usual for the two meetings to be held on the same occasion, in legal terms they are distinct, and so it is important for two separate notices to be used. Both notices must be displayed at or near the main door or all parish churches for at least two Sundays before the meeting. For more detailed information about this paragraph, including the display of notices in parishes with more than one church, please refer to the Church Representation Rules ( CRR ), rules 6(1) and 7(1). You can find these online at https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/churchlawlegis/churchrepresentation-rules.aspx. 2. Note M2 gives you more information about the elections to be held at the Annual Parish Meeting. 3. You will see that since 2016, the list of disqualifications to be on the PCC has been increased to include people who are disqualified from being a charity trustee, or who have been convicted of certain offences against children. The nomination form, M3, makes this clear, and you will need to be pastorally sensitive about how you draw this to people s attention.
Revision of electoral roll 4. The church electoral roll must be revised each year in advance of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, except in a year in which an entirely new roll is prepared (the next time is 2019). 5. Before the meeting, you must: Display the notice (E1) at each church for at least 14 days, during which time, anyone wishing to join the electoral roll must complete an application form (E2). Make sure that the revision is completed between 15 and 28 days before the Annual Meeting. Display the revised roll of names (it is not necessary to show addresses) for at least 14 days. During this period errors or omissions in the roll may be corrected, but subject to that no new names may be added until the end of the annual meeting; the one exception is that a person whose sixteenth birthday falls after the revision of the new roll has been completed but before the meeting may complete a form of application and will then be enrolled with effect from the date of his or her birthday. 6. You must display the notices on or near the principal door of every church and every building licensed for public worship in the parish. (For more information about where to display the notices see CRR 2(1).) 7. The form to apply to be included on the Electoral Roll has been confirmed as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant by the national church. The requirement to display the list of names is not affected by GDPR, and applying to be on the Electoral Roll includes an understanding that the name will be displayed in this way. There is no requirement to display addresses of electoral roll members in church, and you may decide that it is best practice not to do this. 8. After the meeting, you must Display a copy of the attached electoral roll certificate (E3) for at least 14 days on or near the principal door of every church and building in the parish licensed for public worship. Send a copy to your deanery (usually to the deanery lay chair or deanery secretary). Report you Electoral Roll figure to the national church on-line. You can do this from Easter, by entering the figure at http://parishreturns.churchofengland.org, along with your parish s Easter attendance figures. If you have forgotten your login details, please contact the data collection team at Church House (01865 208200) or by email to parishreturns@oxford.anglican.org. By providing the information in this way you have met the requirement to send this information to the diocese, and if at all possible, I would encourage you to use the online system to minimise diocesan costs. If for any reason it is not practical to use the online system, return a copy of the certificate (E3) by post or email to me at petronella.spivey@oxford.anglican.org. If you send me the certificate, please make sure you identify your parish and not just your church name. If your electoral roll figure is reported online, please note that you do not
need to send me a copy of the certificate. You never need to send me a list of people on the Electoral Roll, as this is contrary to data protection regulations. 9. You will receive separate instructions from your archdeacon s office about paperwork relating to churchwardens. Deanery synod membership 10. The term of office of members of the deanery synod elected in 2017 runs to 31 May 2020, so there is no need for any elections for lay representatives to Deanery Synod unless you want to try and fill vacancies. Please make sure that your deanery synod secretary has an up to date list of your deanery synod members: they will be electing ne members of diocesan synod this year, so it is important that we have names and contact details for all of them. 11. If members have not served before, they should also complete a data protection form (M4) and return it to Church House. Other actions after the meetings 12. Within 28 days of the APCM, you must also send copies of the annual report and financial statements as approved at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting to the Finance department at Church House Oxford, by post as above, or by email to finance@oxford.anglican.org. (See CRR 9(4)). 13. After the first PCC meeting of the new session, please send details of any changes in PCC Secretary to Caroline Todd at Diocesan Church House, preferably by email to caroline.todd@oxford.anglican.org. PCC Treasurer to the finance department at Diocesan Church House, preferably by email to finance@oxford.anglican.org. For new office holders, please also send a completed data protection form (M4), so that the diocesan database can be kept up to date. 14. If the parish runs any activities for children or vulnerable adults, for example Sunday School, Mum and Tots, Dementia Lunch: then CofE Safer Recruitment Guidance recommends that Enhanced DBS Disclosures (without Barring information) should be taken up for all members of the PCC. This only applies when PCCs sponsor and approve children s work and work with vulnerable adults. For further information, contact John Nixson, Safeguarding Advisor (john.nixson@oxford.anglican.org). To help you, I have included an approximately chronological checklist of the actions described in this letter with an index to the forms used, as well as some Frequently Asked Questions. All the attached forms, and indeed this letter, are available at http://www.oxford.anglican.org/support-services/parish-support/annual-meeting-electoral-rollresources/. More detailed information on elections, conduct of meetings, electoral roll revision and other matters may be found in the Church Representation Rules, available free of charge at http://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/structure/churchlawlegis/church-representationrules.aspx; alternatively, the latest print edition may be obtained from all the usual sources,
including Church House Bookshop, 31 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BN, tel. 020 7898 1306, www.chbookshop.co.uk. Many other useful resources, including information on responsibilities of PCC members as charity trustees, requirements for registering with the Charity Commission, guidance on PCC accounts and much else, are provided on the Church of England s national Stewardship & Resources website, www.parishresources.co.uk. Thank you all for your help in running this aspect of the church s local and national life. With all good wishes for 2018 Petronella Spivey
Summary of actions Form Code 29 to 42 days before Annual Meeting Display form noting revision of electoral roll (see note 3) for at least 14 days E1 Complete revision of electoral roll 15-28 days before Annual meeting At least 14 days before the Annual meeting Display revised electoral roll (see note 4). At least two Sundays before the meetings Display notice of Annual Parish meeting (see notes 1 and 2). Display notice of election of Churchwardens (see notes 1 and 2). At least seven days before the Annual meeting Audited PCC Accounts for previous year ending 31 December displayed at church door - For continuous period of at least 7 days before APCM including at least one Sunday. (See CRR 9(2)c) Before the annual meeting Written nominations for candidates for Churchwardens Both Annual Meetings must be held before 30 April Nominations for PCC members and Deanery Synod members may be in writing before the APCM or orally at the APCM After the Annual Meeting Display Electoral roll certificate in church for at least fourteen days (see note 6). Inform secretary of deanery synod of any changes to your parish s lay representatives to deanery synod, and copy to petronella.spivey@oxford.anglican.org (Note 9). Inform Church House Oxford of changes to PCC secretary caroline.todd@oxford.anglican.org, with data protection form for new office holders. (Note 12). Inform Church House Oxford of changes to PCC treasurer Finance@oxford.anglican.org, with data protection form for new office holders. (Note 11). Within 28 days of the Annual Meeting Before 1 June 2018 Send copies of annual report and financial statement to Finance@oxford.anglican.org (Note 10). Report Electoral Roll to national database, Church House and Deanery as described in note 6 M1 C1 C2 E3 D3 M4 M4
Frequently Asked Questions Can we take off the Electoral roll people who have moved away? You can take off people who have died or moved away and are no longer worshipping in the parish. If people move away, CRR 3(2) says that you should try and get in touch with the PCC of their new church to let them know. When do we have to start again with the Electoral Roll? The next time you will start again from a blank Electoral Roll is in 2019. Where can I enter my electoral roll figures? The online parish data system is at https://parishreturns.churchofengland.org/index.php. Where can I get login details for, or help with the on-line parish data system? Please contact someone in the data collection team at Church House (01865 208200) or by email to parishreturns@oxford.anglican.org I have entered the electoral roll on-line: do I need to send you the form? No, please don t. This helps to keep diocesan costs down. Shall I send you my Easter Attendance figures? No, please enter them on line at https://parishreturns.churchofengland.org/index.php Our PCC secretary has resigned / We have a new PCC secretary. What shall I do? Please tell Caroline Todd at Church House Oxford. Her contact details are caroline.todd@oxford.anglican.org (01865 208297). If a new person has not previously served in an official capacity in the diocese, please also send in a Data Protection Form (M4). Our Treasurer has resigned / We have a new Treasurer. What shall I do? Please tell Finance at Church House Oxford. Contact details are finance@oxford.anglican.org (01865 208206). If a new person has not previously served in an official capacity in the diocese, please also send in a Data Protection Form (M4). We have a new Electoral Roll Officer. What shall I do? We do not keep records of Electoral Roll Officers: so there is nothing to do. We have a new Deanery Synod representative/ Our Deanery Synod representative has resigned. What shall I do? Please tell the Deanery secretary, and also tell Petronella Spivey at Church House Oxford. Her contact details are: Petronella.spivey@oxford.anglican.org (01865 208243). If a new representative has not previously served in an official capacity in the diocese, please also send in a Data Protection Form (M4). We have some new members on the PCC. Who shall I tell? We do not keep records of PCC members: so there is nothing to do. What shall I do with a form? Look at the bottom of each form. There is a new box marked record keeping that tells you whether you should keep it locally and for how long, or whether you send it on to someone. I have lost the APCM letter you sent me. This information is all on the website, but do get in touch and we will send it again.