Election of Vacancy in See Committee

2025 – 2027

From the Presiding Officer, Darren Oliver (Diocesan Registrar)

In accordance with the Vacancy in See Committees Regulation 2024, there should be a Vacancy in See Committee in place at all times, in case of a vacancy in the office of the diocesan bishop. The term of the previous elected members of this diocese’s Committee came to an end on 31 December 2024 (being the year in which a new Diocesan Synod was elected) and those places now need to be filled.

The work of the Vacancy in See Committee in preparing for the appointment of a new diocesan bishop would be like the role of a PCC preparing a parish profile, but on a diocese-wide scale. Its work would require several meetings over a period of six months or so. Crucially, the Committee elects six from amongst its number to form part of the Crown Nominations Commission, which decides who should be recommended to the Crown to be appointed as the next Bishop of Oxford.

Its composition is largely ex officio, and many of the clergy and lay members are those who were elected to serve on the current General Synod.  At present, there are 28 ex officio members in total as set out below:

The Bishop’s Council has determined that the following additional places should be elected in order to achieve adequate representation:

From the Archdeaconry of Oxford

2 lay members | 1 clergy member

From the Archdeaconry of Berkshire

3 lay members | 1 clergy member

From the Archdeaconry of Buckingham

3 lay members | 1 clergy member

From the Archdeaconry of Dorchester

4 lay members | 2 clergy members

Only those clergy and laity who are members of Diocesan Synod will be entitled to vote, however, those eligible to stand (who do not need to be members of any PCC or Synod) are referred to in section 2 below.

1. How to nominate or vote

Information setting out how to submit a nomination will be sent to those able to nominate by email on 27 January 2025. Please note that each nomination must also have a proposer and a seconder (see paragraphs 2.3 and 2.7 below).  If there are more candidates than places voting will take place online via an election portal. 

2. Who is eligible for election?

Clergy candidates

2.1   A clergy candidate must be an ordained priest or deacon who is beneficed in the diocese or licensed under seal by the bishop of the diocese (excluding archdeacons or a person in episcopal orders).  A person with permission to officiate is not eligible.

2.2   A candidate’s Archdeaconry for the purposes of the election constraints will be determined either by the location of the benefice to which they have been instituted/collated or licensed, or if they hold a general licence to officiate then either the archdeaconry to which the licence is limited, or if for the whole diocese, then by their residence.

2.3   Proposers and seconders must be members of the house of clergy or house of laity of the diocesan synod (there is no separation of houses, and so a clergy candidate can have a member of the house of laity for any archdeaconry as a proposer and/or seconder).

Please note: Following the passing of the Vacancy in See Committees (Amendment) Regulation 2025 at the February 2025 session of the General Synod it is no longer possible for a clergyperson to be nominated for election if they are authorised to exercise ministry in the same parish as existing ex officio clergy or lay member of the Committee. Similarly, where two candidates are nominated and have the same connection by virtue of their electoral roll parish or benefice of ministry and there is no existing connection with an ex officio member, only one of those candidates can be elected and a constraint will be placed on the count.

Lay candidates

2.4   A candidate must be a lay person who:

1. has received Communion according to the use of the Church of England, or a Church in communion with it, at least three times in the twelve months before 27 January 2025; and
2. is either confirmed (or ready and desirous of being confirmed) or comes within paragraph 1(b) of Canon B 15A (i.e. is a communicant member of a Church which subscribes to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity); and
3. is aged at least 16 years old on 27 January 2025; and
4. satisfies one of the following conditions:
   1. is on the church electoral roll of a parish in the diocese or on the cathedral’s community roll;
   2. is to be declared by the relevant dean to be a habitual worshipper at St George’s Chapel, Windsor or the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford; or
   3. is declared by the leader of a mission initiative in the diocese to be part of the worshipping community involved in the initiative.

2.5   Candidate’s Archdeaconry for the purposes of the election constraints will be determined by the location of the parish on which parish’s electoral roll their name is entered.  

2.6   Candidates must normally be qualified as such at 6.00 a.m. on 27 January 2025. Exceptionally, the deans of St George’s Chapel, Windsor or the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford or the leader of a mission initiative may declare persons to be habitual worshippers at those places. 

2.7   Proposers and seconders must be members of the house of clergy or house of laity of the diocesan synod (there is no separation of houses, and so a lay candidate can have a member of the house of clergy for any archdeaconry as a proposer and/or seconder).

Please note: Following the passing of the Vacancy in See Committees (Amendment) Regulation 2025 at the February 2025 session of the General Synod it is no longer possible for a lay person to be nominated for election if their name is on the electoral roll of the same parish as existing ex officio clergy or lay member of the Committee. Similarly, where two candidates are nominated and have the same connection by virtue of their electoral roll parish or benefice of ministry and there is no existing connection with an ex officio member, only one of those candidates can be elected and a constraint will be placed on the count.

3. Who can vote in the election?

Only those clergy and laity who are members of Diocesan Synod will be entitled to vote.  It is a single electorate with no separation by houses, and so clergy can vote for laity and vice versa. 

4. When can nominations be made?

Invitations to nominate will be sent to the electorate on 27 January 2025. Nominations must be made by 5pm on 10 March 2025 by completing the nomination form emailed to diocesan synod members and returning it to elections@oxford.anglican.org. 

5. What is involved in the nomination process?

Nominated candidates will be able to engage with the electorate by submitting a written electoral statement (by 5pm on 10 March 2025).

There is no required format, but it will be limited 100 words. The content is a matter for each candidate but material which is, on the advice of the presiding officer, defamatory or unlawful will not be permitted.

The electoral statement will be posted on the online elections portal and on the diocesan website.

There will be no obligation for any candidate to provide this. If a candidate does not wish to do so, words similar to “no information provided” will simply be listed beside the candidate’s name.

6. When will voting take place?

Voting invitations (where needed) will be issued (with instructions on how votes can be cast) by Civica Election Services on 19 March 2025.

Voting will close at 5pm on 2 April 2025.

A full timetable for elections within the Diocese of Oxford is below.