THE PROCESS OF CLERGY RETIREMENT IN THE DIOCESE OF PORTSMOUTH
It is helpful for bishops to know your intentions about retirement sufficiently far in advance to be prepared. Guidance is given below about the stages although there is no hard and fast rule applicable to every case, except for the legalities of the formal letter of resignation.
-
Write to the Bishop (copy to the Archdeacon) and signal your intention to retire. This might be up to twelve months in advance according to the degree of certainty about a retirement home. Such advance warning – to be handled in strict confidence – will be immensely valuable to staffing forecasts particularly over the next few critical years. It is helpful to indicate your provisional retirement date.
-
Four months before your retirement, please discuss with your archdeacon your intended retirement date and date of your last Sunday of duty. On this basis, write to the Bishop with your intention to resign, giving the normal 3 months notice.
-
You should ensure that all other arrangements for your retirement and move to a new house are reasonably certain before writing to the Bishop as this resignation form will have legal force.
-
It is your responsibility to inform the Pensions Board of the date of retirement, preferably at the same time as you send your resignation form to the Bishop. The Bishop’s office will ensure that the media are notified of your retirement on receipt of your resignation, unless you request otherwise.
-
If there is an unexpected delay in the availability of your retirement home after you have sent in your resignation it may be possible for you to stay on in the vicarage for a time after consultation with your Archdeacon and by mutual agreement with the Bishop. If this situation is likely to arise you should contact your Archdeacon as early as possible.
-
It is your responsibility to obtain the application forms for payment of pension. The form must be countersigned by the Bishop.
-
It is helpful if you would notify the Bishop’s office of your retirement address and telephone number (and diocese) when these are known, together with your intended date of vacation of your clergy house. Please note that clergy pay their own removal costs upon retirement.
