The Charity Commission has taken “regulatory motion” against two Church of England dioceses as a consequence of alleged safeguarding failures referring to allegations made against the previous Bishop of Liverpool.
Dr John Perumbalath resigned in January of last 12 months following allegations of inappropriate behaviour by two women. Dr Perumbalath has maintained his innocence within the matter.
One woman claimed Dr Perumbalath kissed her without consent and groped her in Chelmsford, while Perumbalath was serving as Bishop of Bradwell. A Church of England investigation found that Perumbalath had “no case to reply”.
Allegations of sexual assault by the second woman, one other bishop, the Rt Rev Bev Mason, went un-investigated because the Church said the legal timeframe had expired.
Both the Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance and the Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance have now been censured by the Charity Commission as a consequence of their handling of the complaints.
The Commission said, “[In] each charities there was a failure to properly handle safeguarding allegations and to take care of appropriate oversight of safeguarding by the trustees.”
It added, “In each instances, as a consequence of lack of appropriate procedures and processes, those trustees who knew of the allegations didn’t take motion that will have allowed the trustee boards to fully consider any risks and make a call on the suitable motion to take.”
The Commission added that the allegations weren’t reported as serious incidents in 2023 once they first arose, but in 2025 following stories within the media.
Taken together, the Commission said this amounted to “mismanagement” and that each charities can be required to enhance their policies and practices, with regular updates on progress provided to the Commission.
Responding to the Commission, the Bishop of Chelmsford said in an announcement that she “respectfully disagrees” with among the findings, adding that an official warning was “disproportionate”, while pledging to cooperate with the Commission’s processes.
“We take safeguarding within the Diocese of Chelmsford extremely seriously and our response to this complex case involving a former bishop within the Diocese was robust and survivor led,” she said.
“We offered support for a criticism under the Clergy Discipline Measure and imagine that the matter was handled appropriately; we escalated the matter and sought appropriate advice.
“We worked closely with and supported the National Safeguarding Team once they took over the case, shortly after the complainant’s concern was first reported in Chelmsford Diocese.”
The Chair of Trustees, Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance: “We accept the Commission’s findings and apologise for the shortcomings identified.
“We have already made changes to strengthen reporting and governance processes, and we commit to ongoing learning, accountability and continuous improvement.
“The Diocese of Liverpool is devoted to making sure that the church is a secure and inclusive environment where concerns could be raised in a culture of accountability, transparency and compassion.”
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