Overview
- Liverpool and Chelmsford Diocesan Boards of Finance received Official Warnings for breaching safeguarding guidance and trustee duties.
- Trustees who were aware of allegations first raised in 2023 failed to escalate them, resulting in serious-incident reports reaching the regulator only in early 2025 after media interest.
- The Commission concluded the shortcomings amounted to mismanagement and mandated stronger policies, risk assessment, and clear reporting to full trustee boards.
- Both charities must put prompt serious-incident reporting in place and update the regulator on progress, with two months to set out planned improvements.
- The findings relate to allegations concerning then Bishop of Liverpool John Perumbalath, who resigned in 2025 while denying wrongdoing, and this represents the first such warning to Church of England dioceses reported by the coverage.