Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011

Parochial church meetings and councils

10 (1) A pastoral scheme which creates a new parish may make provision, or authorise the bishop by instrument under his hand to make provision, for ensuring that the congregation of every church or place of worship in the new parish will have its own elected representatives of the laity on the parochial church council of that parish.

(2) Any provision included in a pastoral scheme or the bishop’s instrument by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) shall cease to have effect at the expiration of the period of five years from the date on which the new parish comes into being or such lesser period as may be specified in the scheme or instrument, and that period may not be extended or renewed by a subsequent pastoral scheme or instrument of the bishop.

(3) Any such provision shall have effect notwithstanding anything in the Church Representation Rules.

(4) Without prejudice to any general rule of law relating to parochial church councils, the powers, duties and liabilities set out in section 4(1)(ii) of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 (4 & 5 Eliz. 2 No. 3) shall continue to apply to any church which was formerly a parish church and becomes a chapel of ease as the result of a pastoral scheme or order, and to the churchyard of any such church, except so far as the scheme or order otherwise provides.

11 (1) Where a pastoral scheme provides for two or more parishes to be comprised in the area of a single benefice or a pastoral scheme or order provides for two or more benefices to be held in plurality, the scheme or order may make provision, or authorise the bishop by instrument under his hand with the concurrence of the incumbent of the benefice or benefices to make provision—

(a) for establishing a joint parochial church council for all or some of the parishes of the benefice or benefices;

(b) for the chairmanship, meetings and procedure of the council, and

(c) subject to paragraph 20 of Schedule 2 to the Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986, for the functions of the parochial church council of any such parish which must or may be delegated to the joint parochial church council,

being provisions to the same effect as those which may be made by a scheme under the Church Representation Rules in the like case.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), any provisions which are included in a pastoral scheme or order or the bishop’s instrument by virtue of sub-paragraph (1) shall cease to have effect at the expiration of the period of five years from the date on which the scheme, order or instrument, as the case may be, came into operation, or such lesser period as may be specified in the scheme, order or instrument and that period may not be extended or renewed by a subsequent pastoral scheme, pastoral order or instrument of the bishop.

(3) Where the provisions of a pastoral scheme or order for the holding of benefices in plurality are terminated under section 32(2), any provision of a pastoral scheme or order or the bishop’s instrument establishing a joint parochial church council for all or some of the parishes of those benefices and the other provisions thereof affecting that council shall cease to have effect on the date on which the first mentioned provisions cease to have effect.