On 16 January 2026 the Charity Commission for England and Wales issued an  Official Warning to the Trustees of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance (CDBF) for “a breach of trust or duty or other misconduct and/ or mismanagement” in relation to the handling of a concern raised in 2023 about the conduct of the former Bishop of Bradwell (and more recently the Bishop of Liverpool), the Rt Rev’d Dr John Perumbalath. The case was reported in national media in January 2025.

We take safeguarding in the Diocese of Chelmsford extremely seriously and our response to this complex case involving a former bishop in the Diocese was robust and survivor led. We offered support for a complaint under the Clergy Discipline Measure and believe that the matter was handled appropriately; we escalated the matter and sought appropriate advice. We worked closely with and supported the National Safeguarding Team when they took over the case, shortly after the complainant’s concern was first reported in Chelmsford Diocese.

We respectfully disagree with some of the Charity Commission’s conclusions and are disappointed by the decision to issue an Official Warning, which we believe was disproportionate. However, we are committed to working with the regulator to improve our procedures and the majority of the five actions identified in the Official Warning have already been taken, with the remainder under way.

The Charity Commission has emphasised the importance of ensuring Trustees have oversight of individual safeguarding cases, whilst recognising the complexities involved. Operational management of cases is delegated to experienced safeguarding professionals and those with executive responsibilities, supported by the National Safeguarding Team and statutory authorities in relevant cases. We are now enhancing our procedures to give Trustees stronger oversight of individual cases in a way that protects confidentiality, particularly for survivors and victims. We are aware that greater Trustee oversight of individual cases may also have implications for plans to move towards greater independence of safeguarding in the Church of England and we will work with the Commission and other church bodies to explore these implications further.

Our safeguarding team has, in recent years, been strengthened with new staff, drawing on extensive experience of safeguarding in police and statutory authorities and we seek to provide support and advice to parishes that extends significantly beyond the statutory safeguarding arena, to promote the broader priority of our churches being safe places for all.

We are aware of the potential impact the publication of this Official Warning may have on both the complainant and Bishop John, who has always denied the allegations against him. We have ensured that both of them have been offered support. 

We want to reassure all those who are victims and survivors that safeguarding is a priority in all our work and we are committed to keeping people safe across the Diocese of Chelmsford.

Finally, we recognise that the publication of this Official Warning may be a cause of concern for those who work hard to keep people safe in our parish churches and across the Diocese of Chelmsford. If you have particular responsibility for safeguarding in your church community and you would like to speak with someone about this matter, please do reach out to your Archdeacon, your Area Bishop, the Bishop of Chelmsford’s Chaplain or either of us. 

The Rt Rev’d Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford

Ms Amanda Knight, Chelmsford Diocesan Safeguarding Officer and Head of Safeguarding

This statement has the full support of the Trustees of the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance and the members of the Bishop’s Leadership Team.