A Private Members’ Motion for the General Synod calling for urgent action on clergy pensions has been launched. The motion calls for urgent action to restore (retrospectively) pensions to the 1997 levels and to plan for a more just pension settlement moving forward.

Private Members’ Motions are motions sponsored by ordinary synod members. Once 100 members of Synod (from any house) sign the motion, the Business Committee of Synod decides whether it will be debated.

The motion, tabled in the name of the Rev’d Canon James Blandford-Baker, reads as follows:

That this Synod:

Note the unanimous support given by this Synod in February 2024 to the Private Member’s Motion brought by the Revd Dr Ian Paul, calling for improvements in the level of clergy pensions;

Acknowledge the work being undertaken by the Archbishops’ Council, the Pensions Board, and the Church Commissioners to develop proposals for Synod’s consideration, but lament that, more than twelve months and three sessions of Synod later, no legislative proposals have yet been brought forward for improving the level of clergy pensions — specifically addressing the impact of changes since 1998, including the reduction from two-thirds of the National Minimum Stipend prior to 2011 — as requested by Synod in part (a) of that motion;

Call on the Archbishops’ Council, in consultation with the Pensions Board and the Church Commissioners, to bring to this Synod no later than February 2026 the necessary legislation to restore the clergy pension benefit to its 1997 level from the earliest point possible — including, but not limited to, setting the pension at two-thirds of the stipend and reversing the changes to qualifying years — with the cost of this restoration to be funded by the Church Commissioners, not by Dioceses;

Further call on the Archbishops’ Council, in consultation with the Pensions Board and the Church Commissioners, to bring to this Synod no later than February 2026 the necessary legislation to provide fair compensation to all clergy who have been financially disadvantaged by pension changes since 1998, so as to place them in the financial position they would have been in had those changes not been made — with such compensation to be funded by the Church Commissioners, not by Dioceses;

Further recognise that, in addition to the urgent restorative measures set out above, a long-term, forward-looking approach is also required; and therefore call on the Archbishops’ Council to commission a comprehensive, independent review into what is required to ensure clergy are not merely provided with the bare minimum to live on, but supported in retirement with dignity and fairness — specifically regarding both pension provision and housing. The review should be chaired by an independent lay member of the Church, with members appointed by the Synod’s Appointments Committee from both within and beyond the Synod. It should be vision-led, draw on external expert input — particularly concerning long-term retirement needs and standards of living — and seek to define what constitutes a good and dignified retirement for clergy. The Commission should report back to this Synod with recommendations within 12 months.