ALL new spending at Bangor Cathedral has been suspended by the Chapter, a Church in Wales spokesman confirmed this week.
The suspension was first reported last week by BBC Wales, which linked it to cathedral debts owed to the Bangor diocesan board of finance (DBF).
The spokesman said on Wednesday that the suspension had been put in place, “pending a review this week”. It follows a Visitation that uncovered concerns about “weak financial controls, unclear reporting lines, and spending decisions that were insufficiently scrutinised” (News, 3 May). A sixth serious-incident report was made to the Charity Commission this month after the Chapter met and discussed financial record-keeping and procedures (News, 16 May).
Among the issues raised in an earlier serious-incident report was the expenditure of £418,000 on new furniture for the cathedral, the bulk of the cost borne by the DBF, with “inadequate consultation and information”, a group of whistle-blowers said. The Dean and Chapter have already agreed to pay back to the DBF funds spent on trips abroad that should have been their own expenses.
In the weeks after publication of the Visitation recommendations, members of the cathedral congregation have continued to raise concerns with the Bishops in Wales (Letters, 30 May). On Tuesday, the Church Times was shown one such letter, which described the past year as “dreadful and stressful”.
“There appears to be very little management structure in place, and it seems that the cathedral is run by a combination of Chapter, consisting of clerics who do not attend the cathedral, and the Acting Dean who is not a member of Chapter.
“Naturally, decisions made by one are rejected by the other, and it is an utterly chaotic situation. Decisions are made which are not shared or communicated with the congregation, and people are extremely unclear about what is going on. The atmosphere of confidentiality mainly gives the impression of concealing. It is unhealthy.”
In the wake of recent reports and social-media commentary, worshippers were, she said, “the subject of gossip and jokes, and the good name of this institution is in tatters. I am always having to reassure my children about the cathedral, and I find myself having to tell other family members that I am not sending my children into a dangerous situation on a Sunday. It should not be like this. The lack of clarity or explanation is astounding.”
She urged the Bishops to “step in and help your fellow Christians, who are suffering terribly. The cathedral is a toxic and unhappy place, and without drastic changes, I fear for its future.”
Writing on his blog this week, the Revd Dr Mark Clavier, Canon Theologian for the diocese of Swansea & Brecon, who also serves as the Bishop’s Chaplain and Priest-in-Charge of the Brecon and Epynt Ministry Area, suggested that events at Bangor Cathedral were the latest in a “succession of leadership crises that have unsettled our Church over nearly two decades.
“These aren’t just unfortunate episodes or isolated lapses. Taken together, they reveal a troubling picture — resignations, fractured relationships, governance failures, and a persistent lack of transparency — that can’t be explained away as coincidence.”
Since 2008, he wrote, one quarter of the Welsh diocesan bishops had “either resigned under controversy or else later faced serious allegations”. Two of the Church’s six cathedrals had “lately endured prolonged dysfunction” (News, 20 May 2022).
The Bangor Visitation considered the period from 2022 to 2024. In 2021, the Diocesan Secretary, Canon Siôn Rhys Evans, was appointed Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer by the Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor, the Most Revd Andy John. Canon Evans did not exercise any ministry at the cathedral from March 2024, and, on 29 December 2024, a statement on the diocesan website said that he was leaving his positions as Diocesan Secretary and Sub-Dean. Among the Visitation’s recommendations was that “any future appointment to the role of Dean or Sub-Dean should be exclusive of other responsibilities”.
In January, Canon Evans was appointed bursar and general manager of Westminster College, Cambridge, a URC training centre. A statement issued on behalf of the college on 21 May said that he was no longer in post. “Canon Siôn Rhys Evan’s probationary period was unsuccessful, and the term was not extended. As of 19 May, he is no longer a member of Westminster College staff,” the statement said.
The Church Times has approached Canon Evans for comment.
