Synodical Government Measure 1969

Part IE Church Electoral Roll

Formation of RollE

1(1)There shall be a church electoral roll (in these rules referred to as “the roll”) in every parish, on which the names of lay persons shall be entered as hereinafter provided. The roll shall be available for inspection by bona-fide inquirers.

(2)A lay person shall be entitled to have his name entered on the . . . F1 roll of a parish, if he—

(a)is baptised;

[F2(b)is a member of the Church of England or of a Church in communion with the Church of England;]

(c)is of [F3sixteen] years or upwards;

(d)is resident in the parish, or, if not so resident, has habitually attended public worship in the parish during a period of six months prior to enrolment; and

(e)has signed the form of application for enrolment set out in section 1 of Appendix I to these rules.

[F5(3)A person shall be entitled to have his name on the roll of each of any number of parishes if he is entitled by virtue of paragraph (2) of this rule to have his name entered on each roll; but a person whose name is entered on the roll of each of two or more parishes must choose one of those parishes for the purpose of the provisions of these rules which prescribe the qualifications for election to a deanery synod, a diocesan synod or the General Synod or for membership [F6of a parochial church council under rule 12(1)(e) or] of a deanery synod under rule 19(3)(b).]

(4)The roll shall, until a parochial church council has been constituted in a parish, be formed and revised by the minister and churchwardens (if any), and shall, after such council has been constituted, be kept and revised by or under the direction of the council. Reference in this rule to a parochial church council shall, so far as may be necessary for giving effect to these rules, be construed as including references to the minister and churchwardens (if any).

[F7(4A)Where a new parish is created by a pastoral scheme, the roll of that parish shall in the first instance consist—

(a)in the case of a parish created by the union of two or more former parishes, of the rolls of those parishes combined to form one roll;

(b)in any other case, of the names of the persons whose names are at the date of the coming into existence of the new parish entered on the roll of a parish the whole or any part of which forms part of the new parish and who are either resident in the new parish or have habitually attended public worship therein.]

(5)The parochial church council shall appoint [F8a church electoral roll officer] to act under its directions for the purpose of carrying out its functions with regard to the electoral roll.

(6)The names of persons who are entitled to have their names entered upon the roll of the parish shall, subject to the provisions of these rules, be from time to time added to the roll. No name shall be added to or removed from the roll except by the authority of the parochial church council and it shall be the duty of that council to keep the roll constantly up to date and to cause names to be added and removed as from time to time required by these rules.

(7)Subject to the provisions of this rule, a person’s name shall, as the occasion arises, be removed from the roll, if he:—

(a)has died; or

(b)becomes a clerk in Holy Orders; or

(c)signifies in writing his desire that his name should be removed; or

(d). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

[F10(d)ceases to reside in the parish, unless after so ceasing he continues, in any period of six months, to attend public worship in the parish, unless prevented from doing so by illness or other sufficient cause; or]

[F11(e)]is not resident in the parish and has not attended public worship in the parish during the preceding six months, not having been prevented from doing so by illness or other sufficient cause; or

(g). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9

[F11(f)]was not entitled to have his name entered on the roll at the time when it was entered.

(8)The removal of a person’s name from the roll under any of the provisions of these rules shall be without prejudice to his right to have his name entered again, if he [F12has or acquires that right].

(9)The roll shall where practicable contain a record of the address of every person whose name is entered on the roll, but a failure to comply with this requirement shall not prejudice the validity of any entry on the roll.

Revision of Roll and Preparation of New RollE

2(1)Except in a year in which a new roll is prepared, the roll of a parish shall be revised annually by or under the direction of the council. Notice of the intended revision in the form set out in section 2 of Appendix I to these rules shall be affixed by the minister or under his direction on or near the principal door of every church in the parish and every building in the parish licensed for public worship and remain so affixed for a period of not less than fourteen days before the commencement of the revision. The revision shall be completed not less than fifteen days or more than twenty-eight days before the annual parochial church meeting.

(2)Upon every revision all enrolments or removals from the roll which have been effected since the date of the last revision (or since the formation of the roll, if there has been no previous revision) shall be reviewed, and such further enrolments or removals from the rolls as may be required shall be effected.

(3)After the completion of the revision, a copy of the roll as revised shall, together with a list of the names removed from the roll since the last revision (or since the formation of the roll, if there has been no previous revision), be published by being exhibited continuously for not less than fourteen days before the annual parochial church meeting on or near the principal door of the parish church in such manner as the council shall appoint. [F13Subject to the proviso to rule 1(2).] No name shall be entered upon or removed from the roll during the period in any year between the completion of the revision and the close of the annual parochial church meeting.

(4)Not less than two months before the annual parochial church meeting in the year [F141990] and every succeeding sixth year notice in the form set out in section 3 of Appendix 1 to these rules shall be affixed by the minister or under his direction on or near the principal door of every church in the parish and every building in the parish licensed for public worship and remain so affixed for a period of not less than fourteen days. On the affixing of the notice a new roll shall be prepared.

[F15At every service held on each of the two Sundays within the period of fourteen days beginning with the date of the affixing of the notice or, in the case of a church in which no service is held on either of those Sundays, at every service held in that church on the first Sunday after that date the person conducting the service shall inform the congregation of the preparation of the new roll.]

[F16(5)The parochial church council shall take reasonable steps to inform every person whose name is entered on the previous roll that a new roll is being prepared and that if he wishes to have his name entered on the new roll he must apply for enrolment. No such steps need be taken with respect to any person whose name could be removed from the previous roll under rule 1(7).]

(6)The new roll shall be prepared by entering upon it the names of persons entitled to entry under rule 1(2), and a fresh application shall be required from persons whose names were entered on the previous roll. A person whose name was so entered shall not be disqualified for entry on the new roll by reason only of his failure to comply with the conditions specified in rule 1(2)(d), if he was prevented from doing so by illness or other sufficient cause, and the circumstances shall be stated on the application form. The preparation of the new roll shall be completed not less than fifteen days or more than twenty-eight days before the annual parochial church meeting.

(7)After the completion of the new roll, a copy shall be published by being exhibited continuously for not less than fourteen days before the annual parochial church meeting on or near the principal door of the parish church in such manner as the council shall appoint. No name shall be entered upon or removed from the roll during the period in any year between the completion of the new roll and the close of the annual parochial church meeting. On the publication of the new roll the previous roll shall cease to have effect.

(8)Upon the alteration of the boundaries of any parishes the parochial church council of the parish from which any area is transferred shall enquire from the persons resident in that area whose names are entered on the roll of the parish, whether they wish to have their names transferred to the roll of the other parish. The parochial church council shall remove the names of persons answering in the affirmative from its own roll and shall inform the parochial church council of the parish in which such persons now reside, which shall enter the names on its roll without any application for enrolment being required.

Procedural provisions relating to entry and removal of namesE

3(1)When a person applying for enrolment on the roll of any parish signifies his desire that his name should be removed from the roll of any other parish, notice of that fact shall be sent by the parochial church council receiving the application to the parochial church council of that other parish.E

(2)When the name of any person is removed from the roll of the parish owing to his having become resident in another parish, notice of that fact shall, whenever possible, be sent by the parochial church council of the first mentioned parish to the parochial church council of the last mentioned parish.

(3)—(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F17

Certification of Numbers on RollsE

4(1)Not later than the first day of [F18June]—

(a)in any year immediately preceding a year inF which elections of members of deanery synods or diocesan synods will fall due,

(b)in any year being the fourth year after the last preceding election of members of the House of Laity of the General Synod,

the number of names on the roll of each parish shall be certified to the secretary of the diocesan synod and the secretary of the deanery synod, and the certificate shall be signed by the chairman, vice-chairman, secretary or [F19church] electoral roll officer of the parochial church council:

(2)A copy of such certificate shall be affixed at or near to the principal door of every church in the parish and every building licensed for public worship in the parish when the certificate is sent to the secretary of the diocesan synod, and shall remain so affixed for a period of not less than fourteen days.

(3)(4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F20

[F224A(1)A person whose name is entered on the roll of a guild church shall for the purpose of the provisions of these rules which prescribe the qualifications for election to a deanery synod, a diocesan synod or the House of Laity of the General Synod, or for membership of a deanery synod under rule 19(3)(b), be deemed to be a person whose name is on the roll of the parish in which the guild church is, and references in those provisions or in rule 1(3) to a person whose name is on the roll of a parish or on the roll of each of two or more parishes, and in rule 37 to entry on the roll of a parish, shall be construed accordingly.

(2)In this rule “guild church” means a church in the City of London designated and established as a guild church under the City of London (Guild Churches) Acts 1952 and 1960.]