Though they have lost their fight against their liability in the eyes of the law, the Wallbanks hope that all PCCs of England will release their lay rectors from the obligation thus sparing other families from the financial catastrophe they now face.
If you would like to voice your concerns regarding the Wallbanks' case, you can contact the Bishop of Coventry, Rt Revd Colin Bennetts, via BishCov@btconnect.com or by writing to him at Bishop's House, 23 Davenport Road, Coventry CV5 6PW.
As the Bishop notes in his standard reply to letters (see 'Bishop's Response'), he has no jurisdiction in law. He and his colleagues do however have the power to recommend as heads of their dioceses that all their PCCs are encouraged to investigate the release of their lay rectors from the liability forthwith, as indeed some bishops have already done.
This is a responsibility that they do not need to pass solely over to the Government or legal bodies and could be discussed at the General Synod meeting commencing this Monday 26th February in London. Indeed, in the 1980s the Synod itself recommended the repeal of the liability.
This would also act to solve the Bishop's other point regarding grant applications, since the abolition of lay rector liabilities would then enable PCCs to seek funds for the maintenance and restoration of ‘an essential part of the heritage and landscape of England’ through the normal channels of English Heritage.
If you are concerned about the implications this has for you and your family and the rest of England and Wales, write to the bishop of your local diocese voicing your concern and calling for local PCCs to release lay rectors of their obligation. A list of dioceses can be found at http://anglicansonline.org/uk-europe/england/dioceses/index.html
You can write to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rt Revd Rowan Williams, at Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU. Unfortunately, the Palace press office do not have an email address for him.
The Bishops can be called upon to help by:
a) Firstly, in the case of the Bishop of Coventry, negotiating with the Aston Cantlow PCC to release Mr and Mrs Wallbank from the court order to pay for repairs or at least agree a reasonable and charitable settlement (bearing in mind the couple’s previous rejected offers to the PCC)
b) Secondly, strongly encouraging PCCs within their dioceses to release all lay rectors, including the Wallbanks, from this unfair and arbitrary chancel repair liability, without any financial demand and with immediate affect
c) Lastly, voicing their support for the release of all lay rectors across the country from their liability in a united show of Christian charity by the Church, as has already been done in some parishes.