A REVIEW of the contention within the parish of Malpas, about 15 miles south of Chester, has been commissioned, after protests went public in the town in April.
Flyers setting out grievances against the Rector of St Oswald’s, Malpas, the Revd Dr Janine Arnott, were glued to Chester Cathedral on Easter Day (News, 30 May).
The Bishop of Chester, the Rt Revd Mark Tanner, wrote to the PCC that the leaflets were “anonymous, factually incorrect, libellous, and sought by forgery to impersonate a bishop”, the Whitchurch Herald reported.
This week, the Suffragan Bishop of Birkenhead, the Rt Revd Julie Conalty, announced that an independent reviewer had been “invited to perform a church health check, following some challenges earlier this yr that were noted within the press.
“The aim is to construct a transparent picture of how things are going, and to supply constructive recommendations that can help shape and support the continued ministry in Malpas, Threapwood and Bickerton.”
The PCC of St Oswald’s passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Arnott’s leadership in 2022, reports the Whitchurch Herald, and there was an extra dispute this month about whether the PCC meetings were held in person.
