A paper on future of Parochial Fees, GS Misc 1420 Update on Parochial fees, has been circulated in advance of the meeting of General Synod in York 11-15 July 2025. As a GS Misc paper it will not be discussed by Synod but “General Synod members are invited to attend a fringe meeting to be held during the July Group of Sessions to discuss options, opportunities, challenges and risks of alternative models for parochial fees”.

Executive Summary

The Paper provides a summary of opinions that have been expressed in the General Synod on whether the current statutory framework for parochial fees remains fit for purpose; it outlines a potential way in which dioceses could be given greater discretion in this area and the challenges with such an approach

The Background section reviews discussions at General Synod over the period 2019 to 2024, and concludes that there is a significant difference of opinion on whether the practice of nationally set parochial fees should continue.

• During the 2019 General Synod debate some members spoke in favour of lower fees or abolishing statutory fees altogether. At the conclusion of the debate the Order was approved with 165 members voting in favour (62% of members voting), 80 voting against (30%) and 22 abstaining (8%).
• In February 2023, General Synod debated and passed a draft Order to cap the annual fee increases in 2023 and 2024 at 5%; amendments were proposed seeking treble the PCC fee in relation to burials in churchyards and to change the balance of certain fees between Diocesan Boards of Finance and Parochial Church Councils.
• The July 2023 General Synod approved a motion which asked the Council to “design, fund and implement a time-limited, regional trial of providing weddings free of all statutory fees.” The amended motion was approved after a vote by houses with 81% voting for the motion and only 14% voting against it overall.
• In February 2024 it was reported to Synod [GS Misc 1371] that “after considerable work by the Faith and Public Life, Legal, Data Services and Comms teams, it has reluctantly been concluded that such a regional experiment cannot be designed in a way which could realistically provide the data intended and that attempting to do so would incur disproportionate effort, especially by the parish clergy, and cost. Alternative approaches to generating such data have proved to be dead-ends.” The GS Misc paper went on to state that “It is therefore proposed that the question of the future of wedding (and other parochial) fees should be revisited in principle without relying on the kind of empirical data that Synod had hoped could be furnished”.
• In July 2023 a Private Member’s Motion calling on the Council to introduce an Amending Order to set the fees for funeral services in Church at nil received very few General Synod members signatures and the motion  therefore lapsed.
• In February 2024 the Synod approved a Parochial Fees Order which, with a correction and a change to reflect a London Diocesan Synod motion relating to the split of fees between the DBF and PCCs for funeral services in crematoria and cemeteries (reversing a change made in 2019) extended the existing arrangements for parochial fees for two years to the end of 2026.

Discussion at the Diocesan Finances Review Steering Group

“[6]. The Group noted that the estimated current annual income from parochial fees is in the region of £70M p.a. Diocesan Boards of Finance (DBFs) receive just over one-third of this (c. £26M p.a.) with Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) receiving just under two -thirds (c. £43M p.a.). So abolishing parochial fees would put considerable additional pressure on the diocesan economy directly and possibly indirectly via parish share; the Group would have found it difficult to endorse this.

[7]. It was recognised that locally set fees or donations might raise at least as much as the current arrangement. But the Group noted it is not possible to prove this as currently fees can only be waived on a ‘case by case’ basis, so a pilot was not possible. Furthermore, even if parishes received more fees, there is no guarantee the sum that would be passed on to dioceses through parish share would be at least as much as current DBF income from parochial fees.

[…]

[9]. The Group warmed to the staff suggestion that draft legislation might be brought forward which would give each diocese the ability to opt out of the national parochial fee framework, perhaps subject to a Diocesan Synod vote. Such an arrangement would give each diocese discretion to manage the issue as they saw fit, within the bounds of their own financial circumstances. The national parochial fee framework would still exist for those which wished to use it to set fees or as a guide to PCCs.

Consideration by the Archbishops’ Council and relevant Committees

[10]. The Council’s Finance Committee supported this proposal as a pragmatic way forward to respond to the varying options in General Synod on the current parochial fee framework…

[11]. The Council’s Legislative Reform Committee advised that it would be wise to undertake some preparatory work with General Synod before deciding whether to embark on any legislative changes. In its discussion some significant concerns and challenges to the idea of enabling fees to be set locally were identified:

• The fee payable to DBFs helps to facilitate the provision of and payment to non-stipendiary and retired ministers officiating at Life Events services. This would become more challenging if the DBF element of the fee was reduced or eliminated.
• The risk of a ‘post-code lottery’ for fees: this would be most apparent in parishes close to the border with one or more neighbouring dioceses or if each parish were given freedom to set fees.
• The possibility that Parliament wouldn’t favour such a change. Given the legal right of parishioners in respect of Life Events services, Parliament might not favour locally set fees. And there was a risk of unintended consequences as Parliament has the power to annul Parochial Fees Orders.
• The additional work in dioceses to consider whether to opt out of the national parochial fee framework and, for any diocese that chose to do so, the annual staff and governance overhead of reviewing parochial fee levels.
• The concern of the potential financial impact of the proposal on DBFs and PCCs.

[14]. Consideration of these matters is timely as the most recent Parochial Fees Order agreed by the Synod last February [Parochial Fees Order 2024, SI 2024/415] ] prescribed parochial fees for the period 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2026. Therefore, a new Parochial Fees Order will need to be put to the Synod for consideration next year and the Council will wish to consider the time period for which the draft Order should apply, which can be for up to five years”.