Would they be so devious? Yes. In 2019 Parliament approved a new version of the Chrch Representaion Rules. It allowed for people to appeal against being excluded from Parish Electoral Rolls and said that Appeal Panels could charge “reaonable expenses”. Our MPs and lords probably thought that meant bus fares and notepaper.

Less than six weeks eafter the Rules came into force Synod amended them. They struck out the word reasonable, allowing paness to charge unreasonable expenses. Mullally and Cottrell voted to remove the word reaonable.

Again, one might imagine a Panel woul limet themselves to reasonable expenses anyway. Not so. I made an appeal and the Panel was chaired by the Archdeacon of Macclesfied and she threatened me with expenses of at least £270 per hour amounting, she said to thousands of pounds. These were not what any normal person would consider expenses at all, never mind reaonable ones.

She did howevver encourage me to opt for mediation as an alternative. When I agreed to do this, she suddenly reneged on the offer of mediation and the matter remains outstanding.

Draft Rules provide no safeguard, only Rules that cannt be changed except by Parliament. Please, do not trus the Synod with draft rules that can be changed.