Two major Church of England charities have been formally reprimanded by the national regulator for serious failures in how they handled safeguarding allegations, which culminated in the resignation of a senior bishop.
Regulator Issues Unprecedented Warning
The Charity Commission confirmed it has issued an official warning to both the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance and the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance. This marks the first time the regulator has taken such action against any Church of England diocese. The charities were found to have mismanaged allegations against John Perumbalath, who was the Bishop of Liverpool and formerly the Bishop of Bradwell in Chelmsford.
Mr Perumbalath stepped down from his role as Bishop of Liverpool in January 2025. His resignation followed a Channel 4 News report alleging one woman had accused him of non-consensual kissing and groping, while another accused him of sexual harassment. He left without admitting fault or liability.
Systemic Failures in Procedure and Oversight
The Commission's investigation revealed profound shortcomings. It stated that, in both charities, trustees who were aware of the allegations failed to take appropriate action. This was due to a "lack of appropriate procedures and processes", which prevented the full trustee boards from assessing risks and deciding on a proper course of action.
Specifically, the Chelmsford charity was found to have failed for around two years to report a serious incident to the Commission. This related to a January 2023 complaint about alleged sexual misconduct by Mr Perumbalath during his time as Bishop of Bradwell.
Meanwhile, trustees of the Liverpool charity failed to consider or investigate a complaint against him and did not act in the charity's best interests to protect people from harm.
"In the two diocesan charities, lack of appropriate policies and procedures led to a failure to ensure that serious allegations against a senior figure were properly considered by the relevant trustee bodies," said Commission chief executive David Holdsworth.
Mixed Responses and Church-Wide Reforms
The responses from the two dioceses differed. The Liverpool charity's trustees accepted the findings, apologised for the shortcomings, and stated they have already made changes to strengthen governance.
However, the Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani, and the diocesan safeguarding officer, Amanda Knight, issued a joint statement saying they "respectfully disagree" with some conclusions. They called the official warning "disproportionate" and insisted their response had been "robust and survivor-led". They nonetheless committed to working with the regulator to improve procedures.
The wider Church of England acknowledged the warnings seriously. A statement from lead safeguarding bishop Joanne Grenfell and national safeguarding director Alexander Kubeyinje said the Church would examine the findings' relevance for all 42 dioceses and cathedrals. They highlighted that further safeguarding reforms, particularly in governance, will be proposed at the next General Synod.
The Commission will monitor both charities as they implement required changes. Failure to comply could lead to further action, including trustee disqualification. This case adds to a tumultuous period for the Church, which recently saw the resignation of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over separate safeguarding failures.
In a statement at the end of January 2025, Mr Perumbalath maintained his denial of the allegations but said he had "taken seriously the lessons learnt through this process."
