Diocese of Portsmouth

What is the Bishop’s Council?

Officially, the Bishop’s Council is the standing committee of our diocesan synod. It consists of 31 people, some ex officio and some elected by diocesan synod members every three years.

Our Bishop’s Council is also the Diocesan Board of Finance (the official employer of diocesan staff and our legal charity status), the Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Committee (which decides on changes to parish boundaries and clergy deployment) and the Diocesan Parsonages Board.

This means the Bishop’s Council is a busy group! It meets eight times a year and examines issues and policy in more detail than the diocesan synod can hope to achieve.


The current Bishop’s Council members are:

Clergy:

  • Bishop Jonathan Frost
  • The Very Rev Anthony Cane
  • The Ven Steve Daughtery
  • The Ven Kathryn Percival
  • Canon Bob White
  • The Rev Susie Collingridge
  • Canon Tom Kennar
  • The Rev Andrew Hargreaves
  • The Rev James Hunt
  • The Rev Samantha Martell
  • The Rev Mark Williams

Laity:

  • Debbie Sutton
  • Philip Poulter
  • James Bremridge
  • Neil Chrimes
  • Lucy Docherty
  • Mark Emerton
  • Stuart Foster
  • Irene James
  • Adrian Jordan
  • Vanda Leary
  • Simon Lemieux
  • Steven Smart